Nearly 40 kilograms of cocaine held by Fiji court replaced with flour

Key Points:

• Nearly 40 kilograms of cocaine worth $13.3 million were stolen from the Suva High Court in Fiji, with the seized drugs replaced by flour, exposing serious security lapses in the judicial system.
• The cocaine had been evidence in a 2019 case involving Fiji-Canadian Joshua Rahman and was stored in the court vault since March 2021; forensic tests confirmed the remaining exhibits were tampered with and contained no drugs.
• Police have identified six judiciary department employees with access to the vault as persons of interest, and investigations are ongoing, including a review of all other seized exhibits.
• The theft has sparked public outrage and calls for improved security measures, with Justice Minister Siromi Turaga committing to upgrading protocols amid concerns over Fiji’s broader struggle with narcotics trafficking and addiction crises.
• This incident follows a similar case earlier in the year where 12 kilograms of confiscated cocaine went missing, raising questions about the effectiveness of current security practices in handling drug evidence.