Sera Navuga 
[file photo]
Fiji narrowly avoided a major crisis when police seized the country’s largest methamphetamine shipment, worth about $2 billion.
This, according to Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions John Rabuku.
He told the court the 4.15-tonne shipment had a purity between 70 and 80 percent. Rabuku said could have been diluted to increase its volume and street value.
Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions John Rabuku
If released, the drugs according to Rabuku would have fueled transnational crime, deepened corruption, and worsened drug addiction, violence, human trafficking, and the spread of diseases like HIV.
Court evidence showed the drugs were stored in several locations in Nadi for nearly three weeks before being seized.
Some of the methamphetamine was repackaged and possibly distributed during that time.
Authorities warned that if the drugs entered Pacific communities, law enforcement, health services, and social support systems would face severe strain. Governance and economic stability would also be at risk.
The State counsel outlined three levels of responsibility among the nine offenders. It recommended starting sentences of 50 years for the main culprits, 30 to 35 years for mid-level offenders, and 20 years for minor roles.
The hearing in the Lautoka High Court has been adjourned to August 13 for defence submissions. Eight convicted individuals remain in remand.
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