A shipment of crystal meth from the United States valued at $4.5 million tala was confiscated at the Matautu wharf on Wednesday evening.
Police Commissioner Auapaau Logoitino Filipo says the street value based on New Zealand and Australia markets of $25,000 per kilo can be used to estimate the value of narcotics seized.
One local business man and two others working for him have been charged with possession of narcotics and importation of illegal substance.
Police Commissioner Auapaau says additional charges are possible as investigations continue.
According to Aupaau, many countries in South America smuggle drugs into lucrative markets such as New Zealand and Australia where the street value is substantially higher.
“The Pacific islands are just transit points,” says the Commissioner.
According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, prices for meth sold in the US can vary greatly, ranging from $10-$400 per gram and US$6,500 – US$15,000 per kilogram.
“Purity, location, and availability all affect how much meth costs at a given time.”

The operation was a joint effort between the Ministry of Customs border control team and the Ministry of Police K-9 Unit.
A press release from the Ministry of Customs and Revenue confirms the operation had involved the profiling of certain importers.
Samoa’s newly installed Container X-ray scanner and Police trained canine officers helped to target and discover the shipment.

Four years ago in February 2021, a similar shipment of methamphetamine was confiscated by a joint Ministry of Customs and Police K-9 Unit operation.
A former customs officer Pueleo Sefululua Peseta was arrested and charged for the importation of 900 grams of methamphetamine.
In a failure of the justice system, the accused was convicted, however, merely fined $3,000 tala by the District Court.
The 900 grams of “ice” sniffed out by canine officers, were split into two packages, vacuum-packed, and concealed inside boxes of cereal.
Source: Samoa Observer