Praneeta Prakash 
Reserve Bank of Fiji Governor Ariff Ali says the estimated $2 billion drug haul seized in Fiji did not mean the same amount of money left the country.
Ali made the comments while appearing before the Standing Committee on Economic Affairs on the Fiji Financial Intelligence Unit Annual Report 2024.
He says the drugs were likely brought into Fiji as part of a transshipment network before being moved to other destinations.
“When the stock of $2 billion of drugs that came to Fiji, the money, there’s no money that went out from Fiji. You know, if $2 billion goes out of Fiji, our foreign reserves will fall from $3.9 billion, $3.8 billion to $1.8 billion, and we’ll immediately know.”
Ali says those involved in moving the drugs through Fiji may have received small payments in cash or drugs.
“But it’s transshipment things. So, those who are part of, you know, moving it around, they get a small cut, small share.They get some paid. They get paid in drugs, or they get paid in cash. You know, those are things.”
He says the case highlights the need for financial authorities to look beyond large money transfers when investigating drug-related crime.
Ali says authorities may sometimes only identify warning signs after a crime has already occurred.
