A recent claim involving a couple from Gau Island has led to significant legal actions as the High Court in Suva has frozen various assets linked to alleged drug-related activities. The case emerged after it was reported that the wife earned $10,000 from the sale of marijuana, prompting the Director of Public Prosecutions to seek the seizure of the couple’s possessions.
Justice Vishwa Datt Sharma sanctioned the restraining order, which applies to $4,400 in cash, groceries valued at over $3,600, solar equipment, a chest freezer, mobile phones, and a Yamaha outboard engine. His ruling, delivered on January 21, highlighted the woman’s admission of using some of the money from marijuana sales for purchasing groceries, with the remaining cash found at their home.
The court was informed that the woman had been arrested in August 2022 following intel regarding drug cultivation on Gau Island that was allegedly being transported to Suva for distribution. During police questioning, she reportedly acknowledged that the money discovered hidden under a carpet was part of her drug sales profits.
Further complicating the matter, her husband also confessed to ownership of drugs found in their residence and directed police to a plantation where law enforcement officials uprooted 732 cannabis plants, weighing over 190 kilograms. Laboratory tests confirmed that these plants were cannabis sativa.
Justice Sharma determined that the evidence presented met the necessary threshold for a restraining order, underscoring the serious nature of the couple’s involvement in drug trafficking operations from Gau Island. As authorities continue their investigations, this case may set a precedent in how similar drug-related asset seizures are handled in Fiji.
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