A new trend in drug trafficking has emerged in Fiji, where smugglers are posing as pastors and elderly women to evade border officers. Pio Tikoduadua, the Minister for Immigration and Home Affairs, noted that this tactic presents a significant challenge for authorities.
These traffickers frequently enter the country through international airports, hiding drugs beneath the guise of innocuous appearances. “Some of them are pretending to be a pastor or an old woman to exploit the situation,” Tikoduadua explained. “They are constantly changing their appearances, and it is crucial that we identify and apprehend them.”
The Minister praised the efforts of the nation’s law enforcement agencies in protecting Fiji’s borders from drug smuggling. He urged the public to contribute to the national action plan against drugs, emphasizing that the responsibility does not rest solely with the police or businesses, some of which have the means to support these efforts effectively.