CRIMINAL syndicates in Fiji have developed from individual drug dealers to organised groups that have connections to international cartels, says Assistant Police Commissioner (ACP) Crime Mesake Waqa.
Speaking at a panel discussion on Transnational Crime in the Pacific at the Fiji Law Society Convention in Nadi, ACP Waqa said the progression from petty crime to established local drug networks was evident over the past 15 years.
“In Fiji we have local crime syndicates that normally do violent crimes and those at DPP know this as well,” said ACP Waqa.
“We have organised crimes like robbery with violence, burglary, before they move to drugs.”
He said some of these local drug syndicates were established by Fijians deported from the US, New Zealand and Australia.
“The setting up of these local syndicates were by individuals coming from the three nations Australia, New Zealand and the United States.
“They make an establishment of drug syndicates in Fiji because these deportees have connections to the international networks in these three countries.
“So once they settle in Fiji, they also began their networks in Fiji.”
ACP Waqa said the volume of drug seized by police also indicated a growing criminal network.
“In 2012, we started detecting methamphetamine in milligrams, then they increased to grams and then now we have them in tonnes.
“That shows how criminal syndicates and organised groups have managed to connect themselves to networks overseas.
“Once these groups became well established then they started connections direct to the international cartels that resulted in the 4.1 tonnes of meth that surfaced in our shores.”
Organised groups exploit victims, police warn
HUMAN trafficking is being carried out in Fiji by organised groups. Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Crime Mesake Waqa said while authorities recognised this criminal act was happening, addressing the issue was a feat only possible through inter agency collaboration.
“We all know that this is something new to us,” said ACP Waqa.
“We had the Penal Code before the Crimes Decree 2009 came in and in between that time it was very new, and we did not have many reports of it.
“But then again through our international observers they had detected that there is human trafficking happening in Fiji by organised groups.
“In the domestic setting, I can also say we have it because we have investigated and handed it to the DPP for prosecution where the exploitation of sex workers and servitude and prostitution has been reported.”
ACP Waqa said while reports have surfaced, gauging the volume of incidences of human trafficking through data was a challenge.
According to the 2025 US State Department (Traffic in Persons Report, Fiji does not meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking, putting the country on the Tier 2 Watch List.
The report stated while the Government has made significant efforts to eliminate trafficking, it has yet to demonstrate overall increasing efforts compared with the previous reporting period.
“Significant efforts included initiating more trafficking investigations, identifying more trafficking victims — including a victim of sex trafficking — and referring trafficking victims to services,” the report said.
ODPP highlights gaps in response
DIFFERENT state agencies look at human trafficking differently, says Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions deputy director John Rabuku.
He said this made it difficult for human trafficking cases to be identified, investigated and prosecuted.
“For instance, with the Immigration Department, if somebody is let into Fiji and is found to be involved in human trafficking, what do they do?” said Mr Rabuku.
“They declare this is a prohibited immigrant, they kick him or her out of the country.
“By the time it reaches the police, the accused and the victim are out of the country.
“Why this is difficult because from the outset the police are unable to investigate it.”
Mr Rabuku said this was also amplified by the lack of data the country had on human trafficking.
‘You can not turn it into a proper case because you can’t quantify it, and you can’t put that down as some form of data.
“When it comes to issues of employment and if a worker reports breaches about her employment contract or work conditions, the Ministry of Employment probably wouldn’t look at it as human trafficking.
“When the case comes to us, say after three months for an independent advice, we can see all of the hallmarks of human trafficking.
“But its too late because the person has already left the country because the employer has let them go or they have moved on and don’t want to deal with this issue anymore.”\
Mr Rabuku added this vulnerability in the state system affected Fiji’s standings in the annual Traffick in Persons Report by the United States.
“You are unable to quantify it and then it affects the TIP (Traffick in Persons) Report every time the US gives it out, which affects our funding and the aid that comes into the country.
“So that is the difference between drugs and human trafficking in Fiji; at least from our perspective and how we cannot quantify human trafficking and we are always knocked down by the TIP Report every time it comes up.”
Rabuku: Drug trade driven by wealth
MOST people dealing drugs in Fiji are doing it to improve their standard of living, says Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions deputy director John Rabuku.
He said a majority of these locals are not addicts.
“What we are seeing now with methamphetamine is it is used to make certain people more productive,” he said.
“They use it to also then enhance their living standards so that is the drug movement locally.
“This is what happened with marijuana.
People used it to get high over the weekend and then they get over that high and get back to work.
“Now with meth and cocaine, a whole class of people are using it for their productivity.”
Mr Rabuku said one such group were taxidrivers.
“It is rampant among taxidrivers because they say it keeps them up the whole night, so they are able stay up for six to eight hours, earn good money and go back home, then they go for the next hit the next day.”
He said most local drug dealers also focused more on becoming wealthy.
“For the ones who are pushing it or dealing it, they do it basically to increase their level of earnings, to increase their living standards, to build a house and to buy better cars.”
Agreeing with Mr Rabuku was United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Pacific Regional Anti-Corruption Advisor Marie Pegie Cauchois, who added the detention of drug users was not a solution.
“It does not work, in fact it amplifies the problem,” she said.
“We need to look for alternatives to detention and implement rehabilitation mechanisms.”
