Apenisa Waqairadovu 
A staggering 17 tonnes of illicit drugs, mostly cocaine, have already been seized across the Pacific in just the first five months of this year, raising alarm among regional law enforcement agencies over the rapidly escalating drug trade in Pacific waters.
Speaking during the inaugural Pacific Transnational Crime Summit in Suva, Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barret said the figure is already far higher than the total seizures recorded for the whole of 2025.
Barret says the 17 tonnes seized since January is equivalent to around three tonnes of illicit drugs being intercepted every month.
She highlighted that for the entire year in 2025, only about 4.6 tonnes of illicit commodities were seized in the Pacific.
She warns that the situation is rapidly escalating.
“The illicit drug threat to the Pacific is exponentially increasing, corroding health systems, family structures and our future, the next generation.”
Barrett also admitted Australia’s high demand for illicit drugs is contributing heavily to the growing crisis in the Pacific.
“It is our nation’s shame that Australians consume too many illicit drugs and pay too high a price for them.”
Police chiefs from across the Pacific have gathered in Fiji this week to strengthen regional cooperation against transnational organised crime, particularly the growing movement of drugs through Pacific waters.
Police Chiefs say criminal syndicates and cartels are increasingly using the Pacific as a key trafficking route, raising concerns about the long-term impact on island communities.
