Fiji has been ranked 146 out of 193 countries in the world in an organised crime index released by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime.
Based on this, Fiji has been assessed to have the third most highest criminal activity in the Oceania region after Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands.
With Australia and New Zealand being among the most lucrative consumer markets in the world for drugs, it is no surprise that Pacific Island countries have become transit hubs for narcotics originating in South-eastern Asia and Latin America.
The high price of cocaine, methamphetamines and heroin make them for the most part inaccessible to Pacific islanders.
However, larger countries such as Fiji have experienced the emergence of domestic consumer markets and local production of methamphetamines in recent years.
Drugs
Fiji continues to be a transit country for heroin trafficking, even though the scale of the country’s involvement is unknown, states the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime (GI-TOC).
Fiji’s role in heroin trafficking in the region, there is no domestic heroin market in Fiji, suggesting that illicit flows primarily involve foreign criminal actors.
Similarly, Fiji remains a transit area for cocaine trafficking, with growing evidence of a domestic market for cocaine.
GI-TOC states trade to other parts of the region is largely organised by foreign actors, but Fijian criminal gangs have started to dominate the domestic market.
The trans-Pacific cocaine trafficking route has been in use since 2014, with an increase in shipments and quantities of controlled substances being trafficked, partly due to the rise of cocaine production in South America and the higher prices paid for the drug in Australia and New Zealand, states the GI-TOC.
Fiji is also a major Pacific trafficking hub for synthetic drugs, including methamphetamine, which has led to an increase in addiction, corruption and gang violence, states the GI-TOC.
Methamphetamine is increasingly being manufactured locally, with laboratories found in both the greater Suva area and Lautoka.
Synthetic drugs are also trans-shipped through Fiji to New Zealand.
Recent cases have shown that a key transit route for methamphetamine starts in the US, with the drug then moving on to Fiji, said the GI-TOC.
Financial crimes
Financial crimes pose a significant threat in Fiji, with tax evasion, tax fraud and fraudulent credit card transactions being some of the most prominent financial crimes observed in the country, found the GC-TOC.
Fiji’s strategic location and cash-based economy make it a potential staging point for criminal activity in Australia and New Zealand. Fiji’s Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) has reported an increase in cyber-enabled crime activities facilitated by locals through their “money-mule accounts”.
Some fraud schemes observed in the country involve perpetrators gaining the trust of victims to get them to share their debit card information, said the GC-TOC.
There is also an increase in other forms of fraudulent schemes, including romance frauds and investment frauds.
Tracing the identity of cybercriminals is challenging since they use multiple identities when communicating with their victims.
The GC-TOC stated Fiji remains blacklisted by the European Union as a tax haven and is recognised to be “non-cooperative”.
Criminal actors
While there is little evidence of domestic mafia-style groups in Fiji, loosely organised criminal networks exist, primarily engaged in drug production and trafficking, money laundering and human trafficking, said the GC-TOC.
Criminal activity is arguably widespread across the islands, occurring both in remote and densely populated areas.
Fiji is also home to various foreign criminal actors involved in illegal activities such as gambling, prostitution, cybercrime, narcotics distribution and human traffi cking, said the GC-TOC.
Organised crime groups of Chinese origin are known to be the primary foreign actors involved in these activities; they are often involved in drug trafficking and operate brothels where exploitation occurs, states the report.
The increased trafficking of cocaine and methamphetamine through Fiji is also a contributing factor to police corruption.
However, state actors only facilitate illicit markets, rather than taking an active part in criminal operations, states the GC-TOC.
Leadership and governance
The integrity of Fiji’s political leadership and its commitment to fighting organised crime is dubious, states the GC-TOC. It said organised crime and drugs have emerged as serious issues in recent years, mainly related to the increase in methamphetamine and cocaine traffi cking in the country.
The anti-corruption agency is limited and somewhat ineffective, with highprofile cases not being successfully prosecuted, said the GC-TOC.
Budget transparency has improved in recent years, but Fiji still has yet to implement assets disclosure legislation. Corruption is also a big problem in the business sector.
The report states the Fijian government is dedicated to international cooperation in areas that address transnational organised crime, and it has signed several agreements and participates in relevant regional fora.
The lack of information-sharing between local and external agencies is a major drawback in the fight against transnational organised crime.
Australia and New Zealand have signifi cant law enforcement development projects in Fiji, which are focused on transnational crime as well, said the GC-OCT.
Fiji’s laws relating to organised crime remain, for the most part, outdated or are often non-existent. Even though there are provisions pertaining to various types of crime, the regulatory framework continues to lack explicit reference to, and hence, direct focus on organized crime, despite it becoming an increasing concern in the country.
Criminal justice and security
Fiji primarily relies on international partners to obtain intelligence on transnational organised crime. However, efforts continue to tackle criminal networks and drug trafficking regionally.
Fiji’s geography and infrastructure have made it a hub for transportation, business and trade in the Pacific, states the GC-TOC.
However, these same factors have also made the country vulnerable to territorial threats, due to its porous borders and extensive maritime space. Fiji has only one large patrol boat, making monitoring the country’s waters a difficult task.
Furthermore, Fiji is along a major drug trafficking route, connecting the markets in Australia and New Zealand to the largest producers of drugs in the world.
