Fiji investigates theft of 39 cocaine bricks replaced with flour in Supreme Court safe

Evidence vault compromised

During a routine inspection on 15 September 2026, court officials discovered that seven out of 39 seized cocaine packages were missing from the secure evidence room at the Supreme Court in Suva. Police had originally seized the 39 plastic-wrapped bricks, each weighing approximately one kilogram (about two pounds), during a 2019 raid targeting Joshua Aziz Rahman, a dual citizen of Canada and Fiji. Following his initial conviction, authorities transferred the narcotics into the courthouse safe in 2021 to serve as physical evidence for ongoing appeal proceedings. Initial chemical tests conducted immediately after the 2019 seizure had confirmed that all packages contained genuine cocaine. However, comprehensive forensic testing conducted following the September 2026 inspection revealed that all remaining blocks in the vault had been substituted with baking flour.

Police Commissioner Rusiate Tudravu confirmed the test results during a press briefing in Suva on 30 September 2026.

Based on the discovery of the seven missing blocks and evidence tampering, the decision was made to test the remaining packages - which returned negative results for any traces of illicit drugs.

Security failures and previous thefts

The missing narcotics carried valuations ranging from 13.3 million dollars to 31 million dollars (approximately 119 million Polish zloty), while British valuations estimated the haul at nearly 10 million pounds. Sakiusa Jitoko, the deputy director of forensics for the Fiji Police Force, reported extensive technical breakdowns inside the courthouse facility. Sakiusa Jitoko confirmed to broadcaster Fiji One that most security cameras inside the evidence storage facility were broken, and the room's biometric security access system was completely inoperative. Police investigators identified six individuals affiliated with the justice system who possessed authorized access to the safe during the relevant timeframe.

The security breach follows an earlier disappearance of narcotics from Fijian law enforcement custody. In March 2026, 12 kilograms of confiscated cocaine vanished from evidence storage in connection with an unrelated criminal case. When questioned by reporters regarding why security protocols were not enhanced following the March incident, Rusiate Tudravu stated that the government and police leadership shared deep concern over the vulnerability of court-stored evidence.

Political reaction and regional transit

The revelation that physical evidence had been replaced with baking flour generated immediate backlash in the national parliament. Opposition Member of Parliament Jone Usamate criticized the administration of judicial custody, calling the substitution a troubling reflection on evidence custodians and questioning whether the integrity of other legal exhibits remained trustworthy. Justice Minister Siromi Turaga addressed the incident publicly, pledging that authorities would pursue full criminal accountability.

This is shocking. No one will escape punishment.

The court theft coincides with expanding maritime narcotics traffic across Oceania. Pacific Island nations, including Fiji and Tonga, have become strategic transit points for South American cartels shipping cocaine across maritime routes to high-value consumer markets in Australia. Alongside cocaine shipments, the regional transit corridor has experienced an influx of synthetic methamphetamine. The spread of illicit narcotics into local communities has increased domestic addiction rates, with intravenous methamphetamine consumption driving a surge in HIV transmissions that prompted Fijian authorities to declare a national health emergency.