Concerns regarding the use of ports in Fiji as transit points for drug couriers have been raised for decades. On March 12, 1984, The Fiji Times highlighted remarks made by New Zealand drug detection specialist Inspector Wally Hayes, who was in Suva to lead a course on Detection and Recognition of Drugs. This course, sponsored by the United Nations, aimed to train police, Customs, and Immigration officers.
Inspector Hayes expressed that transit passengers often do not attract attention, yet they are likely to carry illegal drugs from locations such as the West Coast of the United States and Southeast Asia to Pacific nations like Australia and New Zealand. He emphasized the critical need for various authorities to work together in combating drug trafficking.
“Without actionable intelligence, it is challenging for Fiji’s police, Customs, and Immigration agencies to take effective action,” he stated to course attendees. He urged that all relevant information be shared among police and Customs to enhance their efforts.
Despite acknowledging that the overall drug detection capability in Fiji was limited, Inspector Hayes remarked on the competence of local officials in addressing drug-related issues. He pointed out a significant challenge: public apathy towards drug issues. “The average person does not want to engage with the topic of drugs until it impacts their family directly,” he explained.
Inspector Hayes was joined by Detective Inspector Govind Raju from Lautoka and Chiefs Customs Officer Robert Raylor from the National Drug Intelligence Bureau in Wellington, New Zealand.