In a bid to outwit police and escape detection, Kadavu farmers are interspersing marijuana among other crops and vegetables to camouflage the illicit drug.
This, according to Police Commissioner Brigadier-General Sitiveni Qiliho during an interview on Kadavu last week.
He was there with Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama for the Kadavu Provincial Council meeting.
“The marijuana plants are planted 10 minutes away from the village,” he said. “They are planted with normal root crops like cassava, taro, plantains and yaqona, this is the new trend that is coming up.”
Brig-Gen Qiliho said in a bid to address the illicit drug issue, they would now enforce the Illicit Drugs Control Act where owners of native or freehold land would be held responsible if marijuana plants were discovered on their property.
He said they would be getting in more assets to assist them in the fight against marijuana cultivation on Kadavu.
“We are hoping that our fast speed boats will be coming in line after training in August. These are some of the things where we need to position observation here on Kadavu Island and a new police post to see and monitor the passage from here to Suva.”
Brig-Gen Qiliho was with a team from the Police Special Response Unit on Kadavu last week that uprooted plants believed to be marijuana from eight farms located along the borders of Nauciwai and Gasele villages.
