Methamphetamine trafficked from Fiji by an airline passenger was intercepted at a Solomon Islands airport in 2024 following a joint police and customs operation, a parliamentary hearing has been told.
According to a report by Solomons Business Magazine, the interception was revealed during a hearing into proposed amendments to the Solomon Islands Dangerous Drugs Act, highlighting Fiji’s role as a point of origin in a transnational drug trafficking case.
The hearing was told that the drug was allegedly carried by an expatriate passenger on behalf of a Solomon Islander based in Fiji and was intended to be handed over to a local contact upon arrival.
Acting on advance intelligence and an alert from Fiji Police, Solomon Islands authorities intercepted the passenger and seized a packet weighing about 15.5 grams. Police forensic testing later confirmed the substance to be methamphetamine.
Customs officials told the Bills and Legislation Committee that the passenger had declared on his arrival card that he was carrying the packet for someone in Solomon Islands.
The committee also heard that the person alleged to have sent the drugs from Fiji had been booked on the same flight but did not board, instead sending the package with the other passenger.
Despite the seizure, no prosecution followed because of gaps in the existing laws at the time, which did not specifically address methamphetamine-related offences.
The hearing was told that the case was one of several methamphetamine-related incidents recorded by customs authorities, including a separate joint police and customs operation at a yacht club waterfront where a significant quantity of drugs was discovered.
