A high-profile narcotics prosecution in Fiji has been thrown into disarray after nearly 40 kilograms of seized cocaine held as court evidence was stolen and replaced with bags of ordinary flour.
The bold security breach, uncovered at the High Court in Suva, involved 39 blocks of cocaine originally confiscated during a major drug operation in 2019.
Forensic analysis confirmed that seven of the original packages were missing entirely, while the remaining 32 had been systematically tampered with and filled with flour to mimic the weight and appearance of the illicit haul.
The illicit shipment, valued between 10 and 15 million dollars, formed the central evidence against Fijian-Canadian national Joshua Aziz Rahman, who was convicted in 2021.
The exhibits were being retained under judicial custody while Rahman pursued an appeal against his conviction.
Police investigators have launched an urgent inquiry into the court’s registry division, targeting personnel responsible for guarding the evidence vault. Authorities are also attempting to trace a primary person of interest believed to have fled abroad shortly before the discovery was made.
Fijian Justice Minister Siromi Turaga described the theft as a grave violation of the judicial system, promising that any officials found complicit in the operation would face the full weight of the law.
The incident highlights growing anxieties over Fiji’s vulnerability to international drug syndicates. Due to its strategic position along maritime trade routes between South America, Australia, and New Zealand, the archipelago has increasingly become a critical transshipment hub for global narcotics syndicates, straining local law enforcement and compromising state institutions.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana