Fijian Watesoni Nacagilevu once featured in an online ad, showcasing his virtuousness and lamenting how he believed the media portrayed people with his cultural background.
“If not a successful athlete, you will be painted in a negative light,” the customer service officer explained. “An obstacle I faced whilst growing up was trying to not become a statistic but making a difference.”
He didn’t mention that, by that time, he was using cocaine daily as a self-described “functional addict”.
Not long after, while still working for the bank, he’d end up in the crosshairs of a major police undercover operation.
Nacagilevu was unknowingly under surveillance during clandestine meetings in supermarket garages in 2021 in which he handed over duffel bags full of drug cartel cash to other underworld figures tasked with laundering it.
He helped launder millions of dollars dating back to 2020, persuading co-workers to join in on some occasions, and helped smuggle at least 3kg of methamphetamine into New Zealand.
A more accurate portrayal of Nacagilevu’s life emerged recently as the now 32-year-old appeared in Auckland District Court for sentencing, six years after the ad. Having since sought rehab and reflected on his mistakes, he was at peace with the inevitable prison sentence that concluded the hearing.
“The person who got arrested in June 2021 is not the same person standing before you today,” he told the packed courtroom and gallery. “There’s no excuses … I do appreciate there’s a consequence to every action.”
In an unusual address, he thanked Judge Kirsten Lummis and the prosecutor, acknowledging that they were doing their jobs.
“Whatever happens, I understand,” he added. “I just have to wake up every day and be a better person.
“Just don’t give up on me.”
Nacagilevu was caught in a compromising position when Operation Worthington – a massive, months-long undercover investigation that started with a focus on money laundering but ended up busting several substantial drug syndicates as well – ended with a blitz of search warrants and more than 30 arrests across Auckland.
Inside his home, police found $235,670 in cash and a handwritten note with several addresses and tracking numbers, linking him to several large importations of methamphetamine.
Investigators also seized and searched his mobile phones, which resulted in a trove of further incriminating details.
Court documents outline in meticulous detail 11 different money drops dating back to April 2021, most of which took place as Nacagilevu parked his silver Mercedes-Benz side-by-side with a co-defendant’s car at an Auckland Central Woolworths parking garage.
Police identified several of the cash exchanges as being worth $350,000, while on other occasions, authorities used imprecise descriptions such as “a large duffel bag” full of cash. Nacagilevu agreed the total amount was roughly $3 million.
Nacagilevu said he was taking directions from a then-Sydney-based drug syndicate leader, to whom the drug profits allegedly belonged. That man, a New Zealander, was also charged but went missing in January. He has not yet gone to trial.
Police also outlined 16 occasions in which Nacagilevu laundered money directly for the syndicate, either through his own bank accounts or those of others he recruited.
