39 cocaine parcels stolen from Fiji court evidence vault and replaced with flour, police say

Detectives in Fiji are probing a major theft after dozens of cocaine parcels seized in 2019 were taken from a High Court evidence vault and some remaining parcels tested negative for drugs, officials said.

Evidence tampering uncovered during forensic tests

Fiji Police seized 39 bricks of cocaine in a 2019 raid, each described as weighing around one kilogram and wrapped in plastic. Authorities discovered earlier this year that seven of those bricks were missing, which led to further testing of the remainder held inside an evidence vault at the High Court in the capital, Suva.

Forensic testing showed the parcels still in the vault tested negative for any trace of illicit drugs. Investigators concluded the cocaine that had once been inside the vault had been removed and replaced with bundles of baking flour, Police Commissioner Rusiate Tudravu said.

“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 on Wednesday.

He added that previous tests carried out after the bricks were confiscated in 2019 confirmed they held cocaine at the time, and that the force was treating the matter with urgency.

Investigation and regional context

Detectives were sifting leads after the discovery as they investigate how the seized drugs were removed while in police custody. Tudravu said the police were taking government concerns seriously and were addressing the probe with utmost urgency.

The report noted that Pacific islands including Fiji and Tonga lie along ocean-trafficking routes used to move cocaine from Latin America into Australia. It also said the region has in recent years seen an increase in synthetic methamphetamine and that this illicit trade has been linked to rising local drug addiction.

The article added that intravenous methamphetamine use has fuelled surging rates of HIV in Fiji, which was recently declared a national emergency.

What is confirmed

• 39 cocaine bricks were seized in 2019, each around one kilogram.
• Seven bricks were found to be missing earlier this year.
• Forensic tests on the remaining parcels showed no traces of illicit drugs and revealed the parcels had been replaced with flour.
• Police Commissioner Rusiate Tudravu publicly confirmed these findings and said the investigation is being treated urgently.

Investigations are ongoing as Fiji police follow leads into how evidence in a secured court vault was tampered with and what happened to the missing cocaine parcels.