Police have started their search for the creator of a fake profile on Facebook who is allegedly selling the drugs methamphetamine.

On the group called ‘Sell your stuff in Samoa’, the profile by name of Mode Lamar has posted a small plastic bag which allegedly contains a white crystal like substance which looks like the drugs methamphetamine.

The Samoa Observer was quick to notify the Samoa Police, Prisons and Corrections Services.

Police Commissioner Auapaau Logoitino Filipo confirmed to the Samoa Observer that the Police’s Information and Technology Unit were trying to trace the creator of the file and verify if the information is correct.

It is believed that the Drug Unit has also been notified.

Police believe that dealers are now coming up with new ways to sell their products.

The Police and the courts in Samoa have noted an increase in the use of narcotics in Samoa. There has been no ‘meth kitchens’ found in Samoa leading many authorities to believe that the drug is being brought in either by sea or air.

Jose Sousa-Santos, an academic specialising on transnational crime wrote a paper about drugs in the Pacific and said authorities needed to take urgent steps.

“The Pacific “drug highway” has spilled over into domestic markets for illicit drug consumption and production in the Pacific Islands region. Drug trafficking has evolved significantly with the rise of local actors in transnational criminal networks,” he said.

“Capacity shortfalls and a disconnect between regional law enforcement infrastructure and national law enforcement agencies undermine trust and are detrimental to intelligence sharing and interoperability in cross-border policing efforts.

“The deportation policies of Australia, New Zealand, and the United States are exacerbating crime and addiction within Pacific nations. They undermine the policy objectives of development partners in the region and will need urgent review.”

Senior Supreme Court Justice Vui Clarence Nelson told the Samoa Observer in a recent interview that it is a growing problem, as confirmed by the rise in court proceedings linked to the hard drug, and he has appealed for a solution.

Having seen first-hand the increasing number of people appearing in court, after being charged with possession of meth or narcotics equipment, he said it is becoming an issue for law enforcement authorities.

 “I don’t think we have ever had an actual overdose yet, but it will eventually happen,” Justice Vui said. “A lot of cases have come before the criminal court involving meth. Is it rising? Oh yes, it absolutely is rising. The graph goes up and up. It is becoming a bigger and bigger problem in Samoa and it is a hard one to solve.”

He added that it is tough trying to stop people from taking it as it is dangerously addictive for the end-user.

“How will we stop people from taking methamphetamine? You try stopping it from coming in, well that isn’t working because it is still coming in somehow and you have more people knowing of its value and money you get from selling it."