A second shipment of illegal drugs was expected to pass through Fiji in February, following a prior incident in January when 4.15 tonnes were smuggled undetected from a yacht to Nadi. Sources close to the investigation revealed that the upcoming shipment was anticipated to be of similar quantity as the earlier bust.
The mastermind behind the drug trafficking operation is a Lebanese-Australian individual, whose identity is being withheld. He has allegedly identified a pickup point for the second shipment, which is expected to be located at a distance similar to that between Nadi and Rotuma Island. The individual has ties to a local Fijian business owner, who assisted in the logistics of the first shipment’s delivery.
This Fijian associate was influential in facilitating the previous transfer of 4.15 tonnes of meth from sea to land. Reports indicate that police followed up on the coordinates provided for the second shipment, but modifications were needed due to the seizure of the first shipment in January.
The Lebanese-Australian had confidence in his associate, as he successfully managed the first shipment. After the initial drugs were confiscated, he fled Fiji for Australia, where there is a significant market for methamphetamine.
In the January drug bust, approximately 4.15 tonnes of meth valued at around $2 billion were intercepted by local police in the Eastern Division. Between January 14 and 20, authorities conducted raids in Nadi, resulting in the seizure of an additional 3.1 tonnes of meth from a construction site and 1.05 tonnes from another location.
Assistant Commissioner of Police (Operations), Livai Driu, reported a 37 percent increase in arrests following these drug operations. In the past seven months, police registered 1,105 drug-related cases, a sharp rise from 805 cases during the same period the previous year. The seized drugs are currently stored at a police facility pending a court decision regarding their destruction.