15 Feb 2007

Police chiefs from the two Samoas to discuss tighter drug controls

7:16 pm on 15 February 2007

The importation of drugs into American Samoa from Samoa will be discussed in talks in Apia this week between the territory's top security officer, the commissioner of public safety, Sotoa Savali, and his counterpart in Apia.

Sotoa says that the inter Samoa talks last year agreed on a joint effort to combat the production, importation and trafficking of drugs.

He is to talk with Samoa's police commissioner, Papalii Lorenese Neru, how best to tackle the drug problem.

Sotoa referred to a recent incident in which marijuana was found in a package air freighted from Samoa, and says he wants Samoa's police department to institute stricter inspection procedures for unaccompanied cargo.