The successful prosecution of a Canadian national to 20-year imprisonment for possessing 39 kilograms of cocaine will act as a major deterrent.

26-year-old Joshua Aziz Rahman was handed a hefty sentence by the High court this week.

The Police Commissioner Brigadier-General, Sitiveni Qiliho says collaboration and cooperation is key to any transnational operation and protecting the region from the impacts of illicit drug trades.

He says their joint effort has once again proven that they have a solid enforcement cooperation network with the ability to disrupt and destabilize international criminal elements.

This case had links to Operation Nova, a significant New Zealand investigation targeting the supply of methamphetamine and cocaine.

It exposed connections between members of an organized crime group in New Zealand with Fiji and allowed information to be passed to Fiji police.

This subsequently led to the arrest, prosecution and sentencing of Joshua Aziz Rahman who was found with 39 bars of cocaine in Caubati Nasinu in February 2019.

Rahman was jointly charged with his father Talat who was sentenced in New Zealand following a major operation targeting the import and supply of methamphetamines.