2026-10-07 - Senate

00:00foreign.

00:29Fore

00:51speech.

00:55for

01:24Fore! Foreign! Foreign!

01:45Foreign

01:49speech. Foreign speech. Foreign speech.

02:09Foreign

02:22speech. Foreign foreign foreign speech.

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02:46for

03:00many.

03:12Foreign

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03:52speech.

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04:12speech. Foreign speech. Foreign speech.

05:48Yeah.

06:15Fore

06:36speech.

06:40official.

07:04Yeah.

07:17foreign.

07:30Yeah.

07:39Yeah.

07:44for you.

08:02Committee

08:08Fore!

08:18Foreign! Foreign!

08:26[clears throat]

08:33Homeland Security.

08:47Yeah.

09:08Speech. Speech.

09:25for

09:42Mayo vapes.

10:10Electronics

10:28cigarettes.

10:46It's a recmercial commercial use.

11:09Department

11:14classification.

11:25Edibles

11:35Value declare

11:40value.

11:57Homeland Security.

12:26Operations

12:42process.

12:46Oh yeah.

12:50>> Investigation

12:56for addictions of drugs.

13:01Homeland Security

13:03investigation.

13:08Continually

13:21investigations

13:32evidence room.

13:54We do joint operations with both the DPS

13:59and the customs.

14:04foreign.

14:26Yeah.

14:33for

14:51you know

14:53intercept

14:58drugs my Truly,

15:19acting commissioner

15:23assigned the case to Homeland Security.

15:34prosecutor, Attorney General,

16:00location. I mean, Homeland Security,

16:18Acting Commissioner

16:28the case. I see.

16:34Yeah.

16:37Yeah.

17:00grant restricted power of arrest,

17:05homeland security,

17:12drug trafficking and human trafficking.

17:16So therefore,

17:22human trafficking,

17:24drug trafficking,

17:28homeland security concentrate

17:32locally

17:34problems

17:36and especially

17:55involvement.

18:09Homeland Security.

18:22What is making

18:46drug task force investigation?

18:51Investigation

19:01suspect

19:09say we don't

19:14we don't control uh uh stop orders. ers

19:18at the at the border. We do not have

19:20legislation that allows us to uh conduct

19:24this type of operation. In any case, uh

19:27if we know that the suspect is going to

19:29be uh uh leaving the island, we will

19:33consult with the AG's office through the

19:35immigration who issues the stop order.

19:38But we do not have the authority and we

19:40had no knowledge that the suspect in

19:43this case was going to leave the island.

20:05However, the case that I just mentioned

20:07can still be is still being uh uh

20:09investigated and prosecuted. Once a

20:11warrant is issued by the office of the

20:13attorney general, then we will proceed

20:15accordingly.

20:28Responsibility,

20:38Homeland Security.

21:15I process the warrant.

21:21want to serve

21:27drugs. Yeah.

21:39uh investigation.

21:46However, alleged

22:10will focus in investigation. It could be

22:13this is a prime suspect of the

22:15investigation

22:25security.

22:29for

22:57the prosecute.

23:08Once the warrant is issued,

23:11we can coordinate with the federal

23:13authorities to serve the warrant and

23:15then uh this suspect can be extradited

23:18back to American Samoa. The challenge is

23:21seeking the resources to do so.

23:26Fore

23:43security.

23:56We are not prepared.

23:58Uh we are looking into what it is we

24:01need to do to better protect

24:04because fentano is extremely destructive

24:07and one breath can kill you. So we're

24:10looking into those areas how to better

24:12protect

24:17to include

24:20but it's a a difficult uh task and

24:22looking for resources through grants is

24:25what we're trying to uh to do to take

24:27care of this issue.

24:38filled

25:15Where is the line draw?

25:29responsibility.

25:38There is a division and there is a

25:41clear-cut uh roles of customs versus

25:44homeland security. Homeland security and

25:47the laws as I understand is uh provides

25:49advice to border protection agencies

25:53such as customs, immigration i.e. public

25:57health, agriculture. Uh, however,

26:01it is the customs authority uh given the

26:04laws of American Samoa to search uh and

26:08seize contraband that is found on the

26:11border. Where Homeland Security comes in

26:14is we do a joint investigation with

26:17customs. The seizure is customs. We do a

26:20joint investig investigation with

26:22customs. And this intelligence is not

26:24only shared in terms of our other uh

26:27investigations but we we also are making

26:31the opportunity and given a lot of

26:34intelligence also to the local uh police

26:37station but the authority remains with

26:40the laws of of American Samoa as I

26:42understand it the authority is customs

26:46uh immigration

26:48agriculture and the department of health

26:51at our borders.

26:53I have

26:59confused.

27:21Customs once customs uh operations

27:24interdicts or seizes a contraband or

27:27whatever it is that they uh if it's

27:30drugs they will will notify us and then

27:32we will do a joint operations with

27:34customs

27:36>> if the custom cutter

27:38drugs

27:46if you

27:50homeland security for

28:08which

28:13Homeland Security.

28:18Fore

28:33security.

28:54So at the same time

29:12free song Fore

29:16city

29:40issuing a stop order.

29:52It's not

30:35Homeland Security Customs.

30:57Homeland Security

31:06is customs.

31:26Customs, Homeland Security,

31:32Customs

31:40Agency.

31:56Homeland Security. Customs.

32:00Homeland Security.

32:13Customs on

32:20customs.

32:32Hello.

32:59I believe

33:19Homeland Security

33:34Homeland Security. Wow.

33:45Homeland Security.

34:01Homeland Security.

34:21Metal drugs

34:29merchandise.

34:42Drug trafficking.

34:56Paulo

35:09official.

35:12What?

35:18It's under uh the American Samo Code

35:20annotated section title 8 0103

35:25gives the Department of Homeland

35:27Security the responsibility to enforce

35:30and prevent drug and human trafficking.

35:33Gather intelligence concerning drug

35:35trafficking and organized crime.

35:37Coordinate major criminal investigations

35:39involving narcotics. coordinate

35:41investigating e efforts and information

35:44sharing with other law enforcement

35:46agencies.

35:47>> Yeah.

35:49[clears throat]

36:05to arrest the Homeland Security.

36:41Homeland Security.

36:55Homeland Security,

37:00Ports of Entry.

37:17drug trafficking.

37:27It's title 8 section 011

37:33uh chapter one of title 8 which reads

37:36the department homeland security police

37:38officers power of arrest.

37:45Yeah.

37:53Yeah.

38:08Human trafficking and drug trafficking.

38:13Homeland Security.

38:16Yeah.

38:28Power of arrest.

38:53lawyer.

39:00Criminal investigation

39:04investigation beside drugs.

39:09for

39:21Homeland Security.

39:30Official homelands refreshment.

39:56for

40:25single for

40:59I find out about

41:53sing.

41:55Yeah.

42:29for

42:44my fault.

43:05Elementary.

43:26Yeah,

43:56Foreign

44:04speech. Foreign speech. Foreign speech.

44:26They are

44:57You don't know.

45:11cases

45:14from

45:34Hello.

45:52Custom

45:56Foreign

46:04speech. Foreign speech. Foreign speech.

46:14cases. Cases

46:46>> [clears throat]

46:49>> city.

47:01Post office,

47:03Homeland Security.

47:21Security.

47:36Drug trafficking.

47:41Homeland Security.

47:43Oh, cases. Drugs.

47:47Don't territory.

48:10Homeland Security.

48:26Home security

48:41involve drugs.

48:50officer.

49:28I'm not familiar with the cases

49:31homeland

49:34that we've codified and that we've

49:36talked with the AG

49:45before that

49:47uh we can provide you that information

49:50but uh I'm just uh providing information

49:53since I've been there at the Department

49:55of Homeland Security. What we have seen

49:58over

49:59is that between 2025 and 2026 we've had

50:03a 76% increase in our cases. Uh and this

50:08is given the fact that uh this is a

50:11joint effort not only Homeland Security.

50:14This is between homeland security, DPS

50:18and customs. There is a drug uh

50:21trafficking

50:23uh uh task force that is uh overseen by

50:26the the department of the attorney

50:28general that sort of kind of steers our

50:30ship. One of the big issues uh that

50:33we've talked about

50:36uh initially in this administration is

50:38the lack of resources. the lack of

50:40resources for each department to fully

50:44do their role in their mission.

50:46Given the fact that we are now looking

50:50at homeland security, i.e. looking at

50:53the borders and the post office that

50:55gives the police more authority and more

50:57resources to focus on the domestic site.

51:00The sharing of revenues that we must uh

51:03put together to help interdict the uh

51:07drugs that are being uh bring brought

51:09into American sour

51:16sharing of information and sharing of

51:17intelligence.

51:23investigation, but it may also benefit

51:26the investigation.

51:28So, we share that intelligence.

51:36My only legal question is the all these

51:39cases are that's all I'm asking. The

51:42cases I'm looking at

51:47Fore

51:57clarify.

52:12Step in.

52:28Homeland Security.

52:39Homeland Security.

52:48Hello.

52:55Press.

53:07Homeland Security.

53:22Acting

53:28Commissioner,

53:42responsibility, Homeland Security.

53:48Acting

53:59Homeland Security.

54:18>> [clears throat]

54:28>> cases.

54:58I don't have an answer to you how many

55:00arrests we've made. All I can tell you

55:02and I will provide you that information

55:05uh later is the fact that we given the

55:08document uh that I've given you. We have

55:13forwarded to the attorney general's

55:15office 26 drug cases that uh pertain to

55:20drug trafficking

55:23uh on our borders whether at the airport

55:25or i.e. the post office. Uh it is the

55:30the attorney general's role to provide

55:32us warrants that we will then serve to

55:34arrest that I cannot provide right now.

55:58custom.

56:02I do not have that information at this

56:04point in time, but I will uh provide

56:07that at a later time to you.

56:22Arrest

56:26refer

56:28attorney general warrants arrest.

56:33But on the

56:47I will provide it to the chairman.

57:09Okay.

57:30Yeah,

57:34there's a clear definition between the

57:37DPS cases and our cases

57:42information paper

57:49tells you

58:02drug cases.

58:11prosecute

58:15active

58:21cases,

58:24federal government, FBI, DEA, and the

58:27Homeland Security

58:31will prosecute

58:34the lawyer city

58:39suspect

58:53Arrest

59:08investigation

59:14city.

59:21They prosecute, but they left the

59:24territory without any stop orders being

59:26issued for these suspects.

59:46of

59:50white

59:57color.

1:00:08Whatever.

1:00:30for

1:00:57Allah.

1:01:13Homeland

1:01:26domestic.

1:01:35Foreign

1:01:39speech. Foreign speech. Foreign speech.

1:01:59for

1:02:08German.

1:02:28>> [clears throat]

1:02:41>> Foreign

1:02:44speech. Foreign speech. Foreign speech.

1:03:04foreign.

1:03:17Yeah. [clears throat]

1:03:27Fore

1:03:44research.

1:03:51[clears throat]

1:03:54Okay.

1:04:21Hello.

1:04:23Uh

1:04:31One

1:04:41foreignit.

1:05:10Foreign

1:05:15Hello.

1:05:46evidence

1:05:51referred

1:06:03Home security

1:06:10evidence.

1:06:14[clears throat]

1:06:18Fore! Foreign! Foreign!

1:06:28Fore!

1:06:44Foreign! Foreign!

1:07:02Finger

1:07:31Homeland Security.

1:07:34Homeland Security.

1:08:18forchech.

1:08:48Foreign

1:08:52speech. Foreign speech. Foreign speech.

1:09:09Homeland Security.

1:09:27Home security.

1:09:55proposal to extend

1:10:03enforcement efforts.

1:10:18Follow

1:10:37me drugs. Foreign

1:11:04speech. Foreign speech. Foreign speech.

1:11:25Homeland Security.

1:11:49Security.

1:12:15Department

1:12:34for

1:12:45boyfriend.

1:13:19Homeland

1:13:31Security.

1:13:55investigation.

1:14:28Isn't it

1:14:42evidence room?

1:14:55for

1:15:25Foreign

1:15:27speech. Foreign speech. Foreign speech.

1:15:47foreign.

1:16:01Yeah.

1:16:16Yeah.

1:16:21Yeah.

1:16:36prosecute.

1:16:58Yeah.

1:17:10Honorable senators, we will provide

1:17:12those numbers to you. Uh given our

1:17:15report that we submitted to the

1:17:17chairman, each case also provides a

1:17:20disposition of that case. What happened

1:17:23during that case?

1:17:27Three cases have been prosecuted. uh 12

1:17:30cases are pending at the uh AG's office.

1:17:34Uh but to answer the question regarding

1:17:37arrests

1:17:38uh

1:17:39>> like the DPS

1:17:42when a crime

1:17:44or a seizure is uh made at the post

1:17:48office or at the airport, we have the

1:17:51authority to detain that uh suspect,

1:17:55initiate the uh the uh the uh the

1:17:59investigation.

1:18:00And then what we then is once the

1:18:03investigation is complete, we turn that

1:18:05over to the AG. And if the AG tells us

1:18:09that the prosecution, they will be

1:18:11prosecuted, a warrant is issued, we then

1:18:14can go out and arrest

1:18:16uh the uh the suspect. But uh that's the

1:18:20process we use. And if it's faulty, we

1:18:23will take another look at our process

1:18:25and strengthen it. But

1:18:28we wait on the AG's decision.

1:18:30>> Well, sorry, I'm I'm talking about the

1:18:3320 26 cases. I just want to know just

1:18:37number maybe two or three out of all

1:18:40these numbers have been given.

1:18:43If it's a legal question then

1:18:51all I'm asking is I'm talking about

1:18:53numbers. You have 26 cases of drugs.

1:19:03Hello.

1:19:30Just numbers.

1:19:35>> [snorts]

1:19:54>> Republic.

1:20:05Department of Homeland Security,

1:20:08Special Agents,

1:20:19Forecess.

1:20:46Yeah. Fourth guy.

1:21:02Academy.

1:21:05I go through the academy.

1:21:21weapons.

1:21:43Army

1:21:45agency

1:21:46overight

1:21:51Weapons

1:21:59virtual

1:22:01weapons training.

1:22:28Yeah.

1:22:34Yeah.

1:22:51for

1:22:55Yeah.

1:22:57[clears throat]

1:23:18Homeland Security.

1:23:45containers.

1:23:59My

1:24:09Homeland Security.

1:24:38Foreign

1:24:53speech. Foreign speech. Foreign speech.

1:25:04number one.

1:25:10FBI,

1:25:18FBI,

1:25:24FBI

1:25:31FBI

1:25:35evidence.

1:25:41FBI

1:25:48FBI

1:26:02resources.

1:26:04Fore

1:26:17cases.

1:26:39Homeland Security.

1:27:01Homeland Security

1:27:12restricted a homeland security.

1:27:36independent prosecutor. Yeah.

1:27:49Yeah.

1:27:54Yeah.

1:28:31It's a control substance.

1:28:36It's a felony.

1:29:00Homeland Security

1:29:11of

1:29:26We have a process. that we follow

1:29:29and access into the evidence room is

1:29:32strictly strictly limited. Uh there's

1:29:35believe a sign in sign out Russia and is

1:29:38inventoried daily

1:29:40until the items uh until the case has

1:29:44been successfully uh investigated,

1:29:46prosecuted and decision made by the

1:29:49court. Then we destroy

1:29:54authoriz

1:30:21evidence custodian. uh she's the one

1:30:23that signs uh all the the evidence in

1:30:26and log it and record it verify

1:30:30administrator the oite

1:30:33uh and the same thing um if they check

1:30:36it out uh everything uh you know they

1:30:38put in a request to the to the custodian

1:30:41the c uh custodian uh will get the

1:30:44evidence and then also has to be signed

1:30:46off by the uh the administrator in the

1:30:49absence of the administrator we have an

1:30:51assistant uh administrator and then if

1:30:54uh both of them are not available then

1:30:57myself will will uh will be the verifier

1:31:02or evidence

1:31:03a and um and even uh if and when uh you

1:31:09know we conduct the raid uh the evidence

1:31:11custodian uh and the helper will be on

1:31:15site. Uh they they have all the

1:31:21they uh everything to to tag uh markers

1:31:26uh uh plastic bags

1:31:31containers

1:31:33and then uh the positive control will be

1:31:37the custodian and a helper to bring it

1:31:39back to u to the evidence room homeland

1:31:56Chain of custody. Evidence room.

1:32:10Follow up.

1:32:37number one.

1:32:46You're not aware of it.

1:32:48>> Oh, um I think I

1:33:01case

1:33:06is a warrant. Once that warrant is

1:33:09issued,

1:33:12you know, to the territory, that warrant

1:33:14applies.

1:33:15>> And if it does not return,

1:33:22But what's happened

1:33:29once

1:33:35DPS

1:33:39extradition

1:33:43warrant the AG's office determined

1:33:49extra

1:33:51suspect.

1:33:57And then one of our agents accompanied

1:33:59um they they see

1:34:15is anything. Are we following it up or

1:34:18we just wait until he come back?

1:34:20>> It it's still pending. Uh it's still

1:34:22pending. uh you know official AG uh

1:34:24they're the ones who make the

1:34:25determination and then once they make

1:34:28the determination if uh if extradition

1:34:31is uh is their determination

1:34:35task force

1:34:37DPS

1:34:50kiss and say goodbye It's got to be the

1:34:53the the local uh the local law

1:34:56enforcement

1:35:09The local law enforcement

1:35:13warrant

1:35:17extradition.

1:35:37Evidence rooms.

1:35:53multit

1:36:08Evans.

1:36:23court.

1:36:45Oh,

1:36:56former governor.

1:37:19I

1:37:22love

1:37:39Yes.

1:38:09Foreign

1:38:28speech. Foreign speech. Foreign speech.

1:38:33for

1:39:03Fore

1:39:18specifically.

1:39:34power.

1:39:44Why?

1:39:55The power of restricted arrest,

1:39:58Homeland Security,

1:40:16former former

1:40:46speech. Foreign

1:40:57speech. Foreign speech. Foreign speech.