Nearly $200 million worth of illicit drugs have been seized in the first nine months of this year with young offenders making up the bulk of those caught.

Minister for Policing Ioane Naivalarua revealed the alarming figures in Parliament today.

According to the statistics, officers seized 19.3 tonnes of marijuana valued at $194.2 million, along with 4.1 kilograms of methamphetamine worth about USD $1.3 million between March and September 2025.

Naivalarua further reveals that between January 2024 and August this year, police recorded 3,096 cases of unlawful possession and 225 cases of cultivation, leading to 3,441 arrests.

He says majority of those apprehended were young people aged 18 to 35 years, with only 71 offenders aged over 56.

Naivalarua warned that Fiji’s drug problem is overwhelmingly a youth problem stressing that more must be done beyond enforcement to provide young people with alternatives to crime.

“A substantial portion of our young people who should be shaping the future of our nation are instead being drawn into the cycle of drugs, whether through possession, use, or cultivation. This calls for urgent action, not only through strong enforcement, but also through prevention, education, and opening of pathways that give our youth real alternatives to crime.”

Naivalarua reaffirmed that the government’s Counter-Narcotics Bureau, backed by a substantial amount of budget and pending legislation, will be fully operational before the end of the fiscal year.

“Fiji urgently needs a strong, professional, and credible Counter-Narcotics Bureau. That is what the coalition government is committed to do and the Ministry of Policing shall deliver before the end of this fiscal year.”

Naivalarua dismissed speculation that the bureau was being disbanded following the arrest of four police officers seconded to it, clarifying that the Bureau will be rebuilt on stronger governance and integrity foundations.

He is calling on all Fijians, chiefs, communities, schools, youth, women’s groups, and faith-based organizations to take responsibility in the national fight against drug abuse and trafficking, stressing that information from citizens is critical to the success of law enforcement.

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