The Fiji Police Force is intensifying its investigation following a major drug bust at Vatia Wharf in Tavua on Friday, January 16, amid growing concerns the operation may be connected to a massive cocaine seizure in French Polynesia on the same day.
The Fiji operation resulted in the arrest of four South American nationals and the confiscation of a significant quantity of illicit drugs, suspected to be cocaine.
Separately, French authorities intercepted a vessel carrying several tonnes of suspected cocaine within their maritime zone.
Assistant Commissioner of Police Crime, Mesake Waqa, said authorities are working with regional and international partners to investigate possible transnational criminal links, with intelligence shared through the Pacific Transnational Crime Network (PTCN).
“We are closely monitoring developments, assessing threats across the Pacific, and ensuring no gaps are left in our regional cooperation,” ACP Waqa said.
Questions remain over whether the drugs seized in Fiji and those intercepted in French Polynesia are part of the same transnational shipment. Police are also investigating the possibility that submersibles or other sophisticated maritime methods may have been used to smuggle narcotics into Fiji. It is not yet clear whether the four arrested individuals had prior maritime experience or if local facilitators and port contacts played a role in facilitating drug trafficking operations.
ACP Waqa emphasised the ongoing risk posed by organised crime syndicates operating across the Pacific, warning that authorities are treating the situation with the highest level of urgency.
The dual seizures highlight a growing threat of trans-Pacific drug trafficking, with experts warning that Fiji’s ports could increasingly be targeted by criminal networks employing high-tech smuggling methods, including submersibles.
