Justice Aruna Aluthge of the Lautoka High Court sentenced Viliame Colowaliku, a 35-year-old single parent, to 15 years’ imprisonment with a non-parole period of 12 years for his role in possessing 4.1 tonnes of high-purity methamphetamine in Legalega, Nadi.
Mr Colowaliku was convicted on Count 8 for unlawful possession of the methamphetamine consignment, which was intercepted by Fiji Police in January 2024.
The court established that Mr Colowaliku, under the direction of his friend Sakiusa Tuva, unloaded containers containing the illicit drugs with knowledge and intent to possess them.
Justice Aluthge classified Mr Colowaliku’s role as one of “lesser culpability,” noting he had no influence over higher-level operatives, limited awareness of the operation’s scale, and expected no financial gain beyond payments from Mr Tuva.
“You unloaded the containers with the knowledge and intention to possess the methamphetamine consignment under the direction of Sakiusa Tuva, who was your friend,” Justice Aluthge stated.
“You expected no financial gain other than what you received from Sakiusa Tuva. You had no influence on those above in the chain and had little awareness of the scale of operation.”
The judge set a starting point of 18 years’ imprisonment.
Mitigating factors included Mr Colowaliku’s status as a single parent and sole breadwinner for three children, his unemployment and extreme poverty that led him to join Tuva, his lack of prior convictions, and his cooperation with police investigations.
After deducting 3 years for mitigation and a 7-month remand period, the final sentence was 15 years, with a 12-year non-parole period to balance rehabilitation and deterrence.