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Fiji Police have launched an urgent investigation after cocaine seized during a 2019 drug raid disappeared from a secure evidence vault at the High Court in Suva and was allegedly replaced with ordinary baking flour.
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Seven of the 39 cocaine bricks initially raised the alarm after they were found missing, but forensic tests on the remaining 32 parcels produced an even more disturbing discovery.
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The missing cocaine had been secured as court evidence since its seizure in 2019, raising serious questions about how the drugs were removed, when the evidence was tampered with, and who had access to the vault where the exhibits were stored.
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The scandal comes as Fiji and other Pacific island nations battle expanding international drug trafficking, with the region increasingly used as a transit corridor for cocaine and methamphetamine moving from Latin America towards Australia.
September 30, (THEWILL) – Police in Fiji have launched an investigation into the disappearance of a large quantity of cocaine from a secure court evidence vault after the seized drugs were allegedly removed and replaced with baking flour.
The discovery was made after investigators found that seven of 39 cocaine bricks seized during a drug raid in 2019 were missing from the evidence stored at the High Court in Suva, the capital.
The 39 parcels, each weighing approximately one kilogramme, had been seized by authorities in 2019 and subjected to forensic examination at the time. The tests confirmed that the parcels contained cocaine.
However, the discovery of the missing seven bricks prompted police to conduct fresh forensic examinations on the remaining parcels.
The results revealed that none of the remaining packages contained traces of cocaine, indicating that the illicit drug had been removed from the entire cache and replaced with flour.
Fiji Police Commissioner Rusiate Tudravu confirmed the findings, saying the discovery of the missing parcels and evidence tampering led authorities to test the remaining exhibits.
“Based on the discovery of the missing seven bars and the tampering of evidence, it was decided to test the remaining parcels—which tested negative for any trace of illicit drugs,” Tudravu told reporters.
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The Commissioner stressed that the original forensic examinations carried out after the 2019 seizure had established that the parcels contained cocaine.
Tudravu said the police were treating the matter with urgency and responding to concerns raised by the government.
“Fiji Police is taking seriously the concerns raised by the government. And I give my assurance we are tackling this investigation with utmost urgency,” he said.
The Commissioner did not disclose whether any suspects had been identified or whether anyone had been arrested in connection with the disappearance.
Felix Ifijeh is a journalist with years of professional reporting experience. Known for his keen news sense, compelling storytelling and commitment to accurate, impactful reporting, he has built a reputation for turning leads into clear, engaging, and well-structured reports that resonate with readers. His work reflects deep newsroom experience and a commitment to accurate, impactful journalism.
