Office of the Attorney General charged Boyd Sasao, a Palauan male residing in Guam, on one count of Trafficking a Controlled Substance and one count of Possession of a Controlled Substance, methamphetamine. Both are felonies carrying stiff sentences if convicted.
According to information from the charging documents, Mr. Boyd Sasao arrived in Palau on April 7, 2023, and was asked to undergo primary inspection by Customs Officers. During the inspection, the police report said Sasao displayed anxious behavior, which led police to have him submit to a secondary inspection, where they found an item wrapped in black tape. Police affidavit said Sasao claimed that the item was for his personal use and following expert testing, it was found to be 2.4 grams of methamphetamine.
Based on the new and stiffer drug law, Mr. Sasao was assessed $50,000 dollar bail. Sasao’s attorney filed to have the bail reconsidered. The court granted Sasao’s request and reduced the bail down to $10,000 and with conditions including signing a waiver of extradition and surrendering travel documents.
The case has been scheduled for a jury trial on June 19, 2023.
Meanwhile, Mr. Sasao had filed a motion to suppress statements he made during the secondary inspection, particularly when he claimed items found on him were for his personal use. The items were tested and were positive for methamphetamine.
In his request to suppress statements, he claimed that the border police took him in for secondary inspection without reading him his rights to an attorney. He asked the court to suppress or not include in evidence the audio of him talking to law enforcement during the secondary search.