By Lagi Keresoma/
Apia, Samoa – 18 July 2025: A family at Vaitele Fou claimed they were held at gunpoint while police searched their house for two suspected drug dealers at 5.00am on Tuesday this week.
The police action inside the family’s home has left a lasting impact on Fauesi Jean Afualo’s family, their elderly father and young children.
Speaking to Talamua, Jean Afualo said she was breastfeeding her newborn baby when she heard cars outside the house then someone kicked their front door followed by insistent knocking.
Jean’s sister woke up and told Jean not to open the door, but Jean, with the baby in her arms, had already opened the door and met the unexpected.
“I was met by a rude man in army clothes and black mask and a gun to my face, who asked me to move aside while he walked inside the house with the gun still on me and my baby,” said Jean.
More men, some in army clothes and masks and others in police uniform stormed inside the house. There were about 15 of them.
One of the men with an authoritative voice asked her where Daryl and Tui were hiding.
The man was speaking very loudly, and Jean was concerned about her sick father who was sleeping in the sitting room. Her father had arrived a few days earlier from Savaii for medical assistance and was staying with Jean and her husband.
“The men in army clothes just rushed in not caring about my father who was trying to sit up, they moved from room to room looking for whoever and still guns pointing at anyone they came across,” said Jean.
Jean said the men continued to kick at the room’s door and pointed guns at her children while they were sleeping and some of them woke up and started crying when they saw men in dark uniforms and masks.
“They even used their guns to poke at the ceiling,” said Jean.
Jean said she saw her half-naked sister sitting at the corner trembling while a masked man stood above her with a gun pointing at her head and children were crying.
It was at that point that Jean lost control when she saw her fathers shocked face and as he tried to reach out, Jean boldly confronted the leader and demanded an explanation.
The same response was “where is Daryl and Tui and I think I shouted that none of those people leave here.”
“I asked them who Daryl and Tui were but he kept asking where they were hiding,” said Jean.
The mask man threatened to arrest Jean for interfering with police work but Jean stood her ground.
It was at that same time one of the masked men found a syringe and gave it to their leader who then called a stop to the search, then turned and concentrated on questioning Jean.
Accused of being a drug user
Jean said the man held up the syringe and demanded to know if this was the utensil she used to do drugs.
Jean tried to explain however, the man accused her of being a drug user and insisted that she tell them who her supplier was.
Jean then called out to her younger sister to bring her fathers medicine box and “I pushed it to the face of the mask man.”
She said the man did not say anything as she angrily told him that the syringe was for her fathers diabetic medicine and they have just caused more pain for her father.
She said it took awhile for the man to take in what she said then called his men and left but Jean demanded an apology from them.
“I called out after him to use his brain and apologize to my father,” said Jean.
The man returned and apologized to Jean and said they got the wrong house.
In the afternoon of the same day, police raided a different house and arrested Daryl Mapu on suspicion of drugs.
The search warrant
Jean said when the police entered their house, they did not inform them of any search warrant, they just rushed in with guns and started calling out instructions to them to be quiet and rushed around the house.
It was only after the search was called off that the leader showed Jean a copy of the search warrant to sign but Jean refused and another confrontation took place.
“My sister, who was really scared, grabbed the paper and signed it so the police could leave,” said Jean.
When asked if the search warrant was for Daryl and Tui, Jean said they did not understand but all they know is that police wanted to know where Daryl and Tui were hiding.
The search warrant is dated 18 June 2025 and is based on the oath of police constable Sisifo Siilata Siilata belief that there are “reasonable grounds or good cause that there is in any house, vehicle at Nuu Fou or Vaitele or any other related village or premises occupied or owned by Daryl Mapu also known as Faumui and other related village.”
Concern over impact of raid
Jean and family are concerned that the raid could send out a negative message to her neighbours and community that they could be involved in drugs.
She wants to clear the air and her family is looking for legal representation against the Ministry of Police.
“We are Mormons and we work and get on well with our neighbours but this raid could tarnish our image and create trouble for us,’ she said.
Jeans father-in-law Tagaloa Aperila support Jeans stance against the police and will assist in clearing his children’s name.
He called the police action “barbaric”.
Repetition of police wrongful raids
This is not the first time police have raided a wrong house or arrested a wrong person. Back in 2015, armed police raided a house at Afiamalu while the family were sleeping.
Police with the same style used on Jeans family did the same with the raid at Afiamalu which prompted the family to sue the Ministry of police.
One of the most criticized police raid took place at the food market at Fugalei in August 2015 where armed police led by then commissioner stormed the market stalls and wrongfully arrested a man. The raid led to an investigation by the Ombudsman whose report pointed to many failures on the part of the police.
In May 2025, police raided a wrong house at Leone where women and children were playing bingo.
Police after they realized they raided the wrong house then continued on to the next house where they made an arrest.
A member of the family told Talamua that police never offered an apology for their action.
