Margot
Staunton RNZ Pacific senior journalist
Fiji’s
Police Minister Ioane Naivalurua walked back his assertion
in parliament last week that more than NZ$3billion (FJ$4
billion) worth of illicit drugs reached the nation’s shores
in the past three years.
“[The drugs] were circulated
within local communities by external and internal actors,
with over 2400 drug-related cases recorded last year alone,”
Naivalurua said during a Budget debate last
Tuesday.
“Few issues concern our people more today
than the growing threat of illicit drugs and transnational
organised crime. Drugs destroy lives, destabilise families,
undermine communities and threaten the security of our
nation,” he told parliament.
“The government continues
to make the fight against illicit drugs and organised crime
one of its highest priorities,” he said.
The Fijian
government had allocated FJ$1.6m in the budget to strengthen
Fiji’s counter narcotics capability.
“This investment
will support the continued establishment of the Counter
Narcotics Bureau, the recruitment of specialised personnel
and the development of the Counter Narcotics Bill, needed to
provide the bureau with a strong legal foundation,”
Naivalurua said.
“This is a direct investment in
enforcement, prevention and the security of our
people.”
However, the police minister told RNZ Pacific
that his 14 July statement was “misleading”, and clarified
his parliamentary statement.
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“The statement that the
FJ$4 billion worth of drugs was in circulation in Fiji is
misleading, as it was intercepted by police and law
enforcement partners, local, regional and international. The
harm it would have caused if law enforcement had not acted,
would have been far more devastating, ” Naivalurua said in a
written response to our questions.
“The seizures over
the years in white and green drugs are reflective of
collaborative efforts which are consistently being reviewed
and strengthened through various security arrangements, such
as the recent formalisation of the Vuvale treaty,” he
added.
The treaty
signed earlier this month commits Australia and Fiji to
work together in tackling regional challenges, including
climate change, transnational organised crime and illicit
drug networks.
It was signed alongside the Ocean of
Peace Alliance, or Veitacini Treaty, a military alliance
that has a mutual defence clause.
Prime Minister
Sitiveni Rabuka’s coalition government is treating the
escalating drug crisis as a
top national security priority, warning previously the
issue threatens the indigenous way of
life.
Intravenous drug use, particularly through
highly dangerous practices like needle sharing, is also the
main driver behind Fiji’s rapid rise in HIV
infections.
Health Minister Atonio Lalabalavu said the
government had been proactive about trying to get the HIV
crisis under control, unlike the previous administration
under Frank Bainimarama.
A Fijian high chief Ratu
Tevita Mara, who is co-deputy chair of the Great Council of
Chiefs (GCC), warned the coalition government last month
that time was nearly up for it to deal with the country’s
drug crisis.
“The window to act on Fiji’s drug crisis
is closing,” the former military general said, in yet
another salvo fired at the government, as the general
election nears.
Ratu Tevita, the son of Fiji’s first
prime minister and president Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, said
Fiji could be breeding a new generation of drug dealers and
it was time the National Security Council acted
urgently.
He is the traditional head of the Lau
Province, and made the comments after more
than 60 parcels containing “white substances” washed up
in Lau, and Kadavu and Munia Islands.
“I am issuing a
direct warning: if the government continues to neglect our
communities in the face of this crisis, the day will come
when our own youth realise the true worth of these finds.
Through that gross negligence, we will have bred an entirely
new generation of drug dealers,” Ratu Tevita
said.
“The drug crisis is above all, a national
security issue and the National Security Council needs to
meet urgently and agree on an immediate response. Our
national security structures and systems have been tested
severely and found wanting,” he said.
Both the Fiji
Police Force and the Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF)
declined to respond to questions posed by RNZ Pacific at the
time.
However, Naivalarua told RNZ Pacific that
transnational crimes were global and required a global
response.
“Considering our challenges as small island
nation fighting a global threat, we will need the support of
our regional and global partners in this effort, and we are
appreciative of our law enforcement partners such as
Australia, New Zealand, United States and others that have
stepped in to assist,” he said.
“Australia and New
Zealand’s commitment through the announcement of the
International Joint Investigations Team (IJIT) comprising of
Australian and New Zealand law enforcement agencies and the
Colombian National Police to help stop illicit drug
shipments coming to the region, is a major step towards
stopping the trafficking of illicit commodities through our
waters.
Concerns by traditional leaders, including
Ratu Tevita were being taken “on board”, he
said.
Naivalarua said Fiji was working with its donor
partners in building a safer and more resilient maritime
community under the Solesolevaki ni Veitaqomaki
initiative as crime prevention is a shared
responsibility between the vanua, communities and
government.
Community participation was critical, he
added.
“People are our greatest asset and resource in
this fight, and by enlisting their help where they work with
law enforcement in the reporting of suspicious activities or
crimes, we will surely make an impact that will benefit our
communities and future generations.”
Modernising
policing
The police minister told parliament that the
policy direction on the national coordination of
transnational serious and organised crime and illicit drug
enforcement in Fiji was issued two months ago and
subsequently endorsed by cabinet in June.
“The
intention of this policy is to provide clear direction for a
strong and coordinated national response to detect, disrupt,
dismantle, neutralise and curb illicit drug networks,” he
said.
The joint efforts would be manned by the
National Joint Enforcement Centre (NJEC) where personnel
work to share intelligence and coordinate
operations.
“I also acknowledge the role of the
military in supporting ongoing joint operations with the
police, under this collaboration illicit drug cases in the
first quarter of 2026 dropped by 30 percent, with overall
crime rates dropping by 18 percent,” he said.
The
budget would support the implementation of the new police
bill, which is before the standing committee on justice, law
and human rights.
“When enacted, this legislation will
modernise policing in Fiji by strengthening accountability,
improving governance and providing a clearer framework for
professional policing,” Navalurua
said.
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