Vacant house in Legalega, Nadi where three tonnes of illicit drugs was seized

Home Affairs Minister Pio Tikoduadua says the seizure of three tonnes of illicit drugs reveals that this issue has existed for a long time, and nothing was done to curtail it.

Tikoduadua stresses that people do not gain confidence overnight to be able to carry out drug trade on such a large scale.

The Police Force yesterday seized the drugs, which were stored in 797 medium-sized containers wrapped in brown tape in a vacant house in Legalega, Nadi.

Tikoduadua states that the police are on top of their investigation.

“So we need to get to the bottom of this very, very quickly. Already the police is conducting investigations. Already they are talking to people who are of interest and they are appealing to the public out there to come out if there is no other incentive.”

After testing, the preliminary results indicate that the seized drugs are methamphetamine.

Tikoduadua says a lot has been said about the drug problem in Fiji.

He says yesterday’s seizure shows the kind of criminology involved in carrying out this illegal trade.

The Minister says the latest bust should serve as a warning to everyone that the Police Force will be coming down hard on them

“It’s not enough just talking about things, you know, to start doing something. But yeah, I think it’s really of grave concern in terms of the size of the discovery. Plus imagining how much is out there already on the local market that our children are consuming or other people are consuming.”

The Home Affairs Minister says they are trying to determine the street value of the drugs.

However, he strongly believes that these packages are for the overseas market.

Tikoduadua says this is one of the biggest seizures ever done by the Force, and they know that a number of people may have been involved in moving these drugs, as it is not easy to transport three tonnes of drugs.

The seized drugs are in police custody.