Eight men are in custody following separate raids as the Divisional Taskforces have stepped up the momentum to crackdown illegal drug activities.

The latest raid was conducted at 4am by a team of officers from the Valelevu Police Station.

The officers arrested a forty-two-year-old taxi driver following the discovery of two large parcels of dried leaves believed to be marijuana.

The raid was conducted at the taxi driver’s home in Sagali Road following information received from the public.

In earlier raids in Suva, Raiwaqa and Nabua yesterday – three men were arrested for their alleged involvement in the illegal trade.

Among them is a sixty-year-old man from Berry Road, a thirty-seven-year-old man from Kadavu and a twenty-nine-year-old self-employed man of Nabua.

The first raid was conducted in Suva whereby officers found several zip-lock bags containing dried leaves and bags containing crystal-like substances believed to be methamphetamine.

The officers also seized cash from the sixty-year-old’s residence.

In the second raid, more than 10 large parcels of dried leaves believed to be marijuana and cash were seized from a home in Jittu Estate where the thirty-seven-year-old man from Kadavu was residing.

The third raid was conducted in Nabua whereby a twenty-nine-year-old man was arrested after parcels of dried leaves believed to be marijuana was found in his house.”

Also in a joint raid yesterday more than ten parcels of dried leaves and branches believed to be marijuana were discovered at the home of a forty-five-year-old man in Naiyala Sub-division, in Nadali, Nausori.

Meanwhile, in the Northern Division a raid conducted on Tuesday night at Korolevu, Seaqaqa resulted in the arrest of a thirty-one-year-old farmer following the discovery of more than 300 plants believed to be marijuana on his farm.

And in the Western Division, a raid was conducted in Nadi at the home of a thirty-six-year-old nightclub manager following the discovery of a plastic bag containing dried leaves believed to be marijuana as well as white crystals believed to be methamphetamine.

Police officers from Sigatoka also stopped and searched a vehicle driven by a forty-two-year-old man of Nawaka Nadi whereby dried leaves believed to be marijuana was found in the boot of the vehicle.

All suspects are in custody as the seized substances have been sent for analysis.