Fiji Police have confirmed another 12.9 kilograms of cocaine is missing from an evidence room at the country’s high court, bringing the total now stolen across Fiji courtrooms to more than 52kg.
Fiji Police revealed 32kg of cocaine stored at the Suva High Court for the long-running trial of Fiji-Canadian national Joshua Aziz Rahman had been replaced with flour and is now effectively missing.
The 39 parcels, each weighing about one kilogramme, had been confirmed as cocaine when they were seized in 2019.
Following the discovery of the missing seven bricks, police ordered forensic tests on the remaining parcels.
The tests found that none of the remaining packages contained traces of illicit drugs, indicating that the cocaine had also been removed and replaced with flour.
“Based on the discovery of the missing seven bars and the tampering of evidence, it was decided to test the remaining parcels—which tested negative for any trace of illicit drugs,” Tudravu told reporters.
He said previous tests conducted after the 2019 seizure had confirmed the presence of cocaine in the parcels.
“Fiji Police is taking seriously the concerns raised by the government. And I give my assurance we are tackling this investigation with utmost urgency,” Tudravu said.
Authorities are now working to establish when and how the evidence was removed and who was responsible.
Fiji and other Pacific island nations have increasingly become transit points for drug trafficking networks moving cocaine from Latin America towards Australia.
The region has also experienced a growing flow of methamphetamine, with authorities warning of its impact on local communities.
In Fiji, intravenous methamphetamine use has also been linked to rising HIV infections, prompting the government to declare a national emergency over the disease.
