A second shipment of illegal drugs was set to pass through Fiji in February, just two months after 4.15 tonnes were smuggled from a yacht to Nadi, unnoticed. Sources close to the January drug bust informed that the expected quantity of the February shipment would be similar to the previously seized amount.
The mastermind behind the drug operations, a Lebanese-Australian whose identity is withheld, had reportedly identified a pickup location for the second shipment. This individual owns multiple properties in Fiji, including a fitness center in Nadi.
It has been revealed that he provided the coordinates for the drug pickup to a Fijian business associate in Nadi. This partnership had been established prior to the hard drugs shipment. The Fijian businessman played a crucial role in arranging the transfer of the 4.15 tonnes of meth from the ocean to the mainland and into storage.
The pickup point for the second shipment is reportedly similar to the distance between Nadi and Rotuma Island, posing a challenge for the barge captain tasked with the operation. Authorities have traced the given coordinates but faced complications due to the earlier drug seizure.
The Lebanese-Australian relied on his local associate for the second shipment because of their previous success in transporting the initial batch of drugs. Following the earlier seizure, he had already departed Fiji for Australia, where the illicit drugs were intended for a lucrative market.
In related developments, a significant seizure of 4.15 tonnes of methamphetamine, valued at approximately $2 billion, was intercepted by local police en route to Australia. Some of the drugs were also destined for the Fijian market.
Between January 14 and January 20, police conducted raids in Legalega and Maqalevu, netting 3.1 tonnes of meth stored in a vacant construction site and an additional 1.05 tonnes from another location. Assistant Commissioner of Police (Operations) Livai Driu reported a 37 percent increase in arrests related to drug offenses following these busts.
Over the past seven months, police recorded a total of 1,105 drug-related cases, up from 805 during the same period last year. The confiscated drugs from Nadi are currently held at a police facility, pending a court decision regarding their destruction.