Post Fiji has strengthened its security and monitoring systems to prevent the trafficking of drugs and other illegal items through the country’s postal network, as drug-related crimes continue to pose a growing challenge nationwide.

Post Fiji Chief Executive Officer Isaac Mow says the organization operates under strict international security compliance standards set by the Universal Postal Union which is an inter-governmental body that oversees postal operations in 192 countries.

Mow says these standards cover both infrastructure security and the safety of postal workers, ensuring mail is monitored from the point of entry through to its final destination.

He says Post Fiji works closely with key stakeholders, including Customs, airline carriers and the Fiji Police Force, to monitor mail—particularly international parcels.

“Apart from the regulations that we follow in terms of security, there are other security standards that we have to abide by to ensure that mails pass from one transit to another transit right up to the final destination. This is in partnership with airline carriers and also customs .

Mow adds that as part of these arrangements, trained police sniffer dogs are deployed at the Nadi facility to detect narcotics in incoming mail bags.

“Those sniffer dogs are used to sort of check on mail bags when they’re opened at the office of exchange, just to sniff out any potential drugs that are coming through the mail. But we also, like I said, we have arrangements with the customs in other countries. So they inform customs here in Fiji if there’s drugs coming through, just for tracking purposes until the recipient picks it up.”

He adds that Post Fiji also relies on information-sharing arrangements with overseas postal and customs authorities, allowing local agencies to track suspicious parcels and intercept illicit items before they reach recipients.

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