Concerns regarding the use of Fiji’s ports of entry as transit points for drug couriers have existed for several decades. On March 12, 1984, The Fiji Times included comments from New Zealand drug detection specialist Inspector Wally Hayes, who was in Suva for a course on Detection and Recognition of Drugs. He highlighted that Fiji’s national airport could be exploited as a transit hub for drug trafficking.
The week-long course was organized by the United Nations and aimed to benefit police, Customs, and Immigration officers. Inspector Hayes pointed out that authorities showed little interest in transit passengers, who were likely to transport drugs from locations like the West Coast of the United States and Southeast Asia to Pacific nations, including Australia and New Zealand.
He emphasized the importance of coordination among authorities to combat illegal drug trafficking. Inspector Hayes stated, “Unless the Fiji police, the Customs, and Immigration authorities have hard information, it is impossible for them to do much work.” He urged police and Customs agencies to share all the information they receive.
While he acknowledged that the standard of drug detection in Fiji was limited, he asserted that officials were capable of handling drug-related issues. He mentioned that public awareness is a significant challenge, as people generally show little concern about drug issues until it personally affects them, particularly when their own family members are involved.
Inspector Hayes was joined by Detective Inspector Govind Raju from Lautoka and Chief Customs Officer Robert Raylor from the National Drug Intelligence Bureau in Wellington, New Zealand.