Fiji Corrections Service (FCS) claims it has identified one of its officers based in Lautoka to be part of a local drug network.

It stated that a joint operation with the Police Dog Unit was conducted last Thursday after a tip-off.

Items seized included a video depicting an inmate using the officer’s phone inside the Lautoka Remand Centre to arrange the delivery of marijuana, suki, and ice, plastic material used for drug packaging found inside the toilet, $400 in cash and $44 worth of Digicel recharge vouchers.

“The Corrections Officer was apprehended in a vehicle with a known ex-convict, who is a prominent figure in the drug trade and was previously held at the Lautoka Remand Centre on drug-related charges,” a media release from FCS stated.

“Additionally, photos retrieved from the officer’s phone show him with one of the 13 individuals accused in the three-tonne drug bust in Legalega, Nadi.”

FCS has suspended the officer and police investigations continue.

“These findings are strong indicators of the Corrections Officer’s involvement in a drug network.”