A second shipment of illegal drugs was expected to pass through Fiji in February, just two months after authorities intercepted 4.15 tonnes of drugs that were transferred from a yacht to Nadi without detection. Sources connected to the January drug bust reported that the amount involved in the February shipment was anticipated to be similar to the previously seized quantity of methamphetamine.
The individual allegedly orchestrating the drug trafficking, a Lebanese-Australian whose identity has been withheld, had already noted the pickup location for the upcoming shipment. This person operates several business ventures in Fiji, including a fitness center located in Nadi.
It has been reported that the Lebanese-Australian communicated the coordinates for the drug pickup to a local business associate in Nadi, who has been closely linked to him and was instrumental in facilitating the earlier shipment of meth. The location designated for the next shipment is comparable in distance to the route from Nadi to Rotuma Island, presenting challenges for the barge captain responsible for the operation.
Authorities have followed up on the provided coordinates; however, plans for the second shipment were altered due to the earlier seizure of the 4.15 tonnes of meth. The Lebanese-Australian had confidence in his local associate based on their success in transporting the first shipment to Nadi. Following the police action earlier this year that led to the seizure, the mastermind had departed Fiji for Australia. The illicit drugs were intended for the Australian market, which offers considerable financial returns for meth.
In relation to recent drug activities in Nadi, law enforcement previously seized 4.15 tonnes of methamphetamine valued at around $2 billion that was en route to Australia through Fiji. Some of the drugs were also designated for local distribution.
In a matter of days, local police conducted multiple raids in the Nadi area, resulting in the confiscation of an additional 3.1 tonnes of meth found in a vacant construction site in Legalega, along with 1.05 tonnes located in Maqalevu. Assistant Commissioner of Police (Operations) Livai Driu stated that there has been a 37 percent rise in drug-related arrests since these busts took place.
Statistics indicate that over the past seven months, police reported 1,105 drug cases compared to 805 cases during the same period last year. It has also been confirmed that the drugs seized in Nadi are currently stored at the Police Mobile unit while awaiting a court ruling regarding their destruction.