Fiji police reported that 52 kilograms of cocaine were stolen from evidence rooms at the country’s High Court, with an additional 12.9 kilograms missing from another case. The total theft includes 32 kilograms that had been replaced with flour in a high-profile trial. Police officials stated that CCTV cameras and biometric security systems were not functioning properly during the time of the thefts, raising concerns about security breaches. Authorities are now conducting audits to ensure other exhibits are secure, focusing on drugs and cash across police stations.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-30,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
In short:
52kg of cocaine has been stolen from an evidence room at Fiji's High Court.
asserted
kg → steal → Court
Authorities say the CCTV at the courthouse was not working when the drugs were stolen.
asserted
drugs → say → courthouse
Fiji Police say they have six suspects they are focusing on.
asserted
they → say → suspects
Fiji Police have confirmed another 12.9 kilograms of cocaine is missing from an evidence room at the country's high court, brining the total now stolen across Fiji courtrooms to more than 52kg.
asserted
kilograms → confirm → kg
Yesterday Fiji Police revealed 32kg of cocaine stored at the Suva High Court for the long-running trial of Fiji-Canadian national Joshua Aziz Rahman had been replaced with flour and is now effectively missing.
asserted
kg → reveal → flour
Two weeks ago it was announced 7kg of cocaine had been stolen from the Suva High Court.
asserted
kg → announce → Court
Following a public outcry, Fiji Police held a press conference in Suva on Wednesday to update on their investigation.
asserted
Police → follow → investigation
Senior Superintendent of Fiji Police Peni Tuivaga confirmed parts of the CCTV at the courthouse's evidence room were not working and the biometric security was faulty during the period when the drugs were stolen, and the 32kg was replaced with flour.
asserted
kg → confirm → flour
Following further questioning from local media on how widespread the issue has become, Superintendent Tuivaga confirmed 12.9kg seized during a 2018 raid on Australian horse trainer John Nikolic's yacht had also disappeared.
"All the cocaine is stolen,"he said.
asserted
cocaine → follow → yacht
Nikolic was found guilty in 2019 of two charges of importing illicit drugs and was sentenced to at least 18 years jail.
asserted
Nikolic → find → jail
The drugs were not destroyed as an appeals process was ongoing, as per orders from the country's court.
asserted
process → destroy → court
"In regards to this [Nikolic's] case, the application for destruction [in March] led us to the missing drugs," Fiji Police Commissioner Rusiate Tudravu said.
asserted
Tudravu → lead → drugs
"I'm very concerned about it, we all want these drugs to be destroyed after."
asserted
drugs → want → it
Depending on the purity of the 52kg of missing cocaine, its street value could be worth more than $20 million.
uncertain
value → depend → cocaine
Commissioner Tudravu said the judiciary, and police, were now conducting a full audit of other exhibits in its possession.
asserted
judiciary → say → possession
"There is an audit team going around all police stations, focusing [on] drugs and cash," he said.
asserted
he → be → drugs
Flour swapped for cocaine
asserted
Flour → swap → cocaine
Commissioner Tudravu said there were six people of interest who had access to the evidence room that Fiji Police were focusing on, with one person currently overseas.
asserted
Police → say → person
However he confirmed that the cocaine in the court evidence room was the responsibility of the judiciary.
asserted
cocaine → confirm → judiciary
"Once it is deposited in the Suva High Court exhibit room, we are not there to guard it," he said.
"
asserted
he → deposit → it
They [the court] have their own arrangements.
asserted
They → have → arrangements
It's like your home, you're the boss of your home, I cannot come in and tell you I'll guard your home."
asserted
I → come → home
In a statement released on Wednesday, Fiji's Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions said its policies around drug destruction had changed since the establishment of the country's anti-narcotics division in 2024.
asserted
policies → release → 2024
It said it was now "prioritising applications" for destruction of drug exhibits.
asserted
it → say → exhibits
Fiji has become ground zero in the Pacific's struggle with transnational drug trafficking.
asserted
Fiji → become → trafficking
In January police alleged they seized 2.6 tonnes of cocaine, worth about $780 million, in a raid on a suspected drug operation in the remote north-west of the country's largest island.
asserted
they → allege → island
An ABC investigation earlier this year uncovered widespread Australian connections in the transportation of drugs through the country.
asserted
investigation → uncover → country
Earlier this month Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced $600 million for a new Pacific-wide initiative to combat the surge of illicit drug smuggling in the region.
asserted
Albanese → announce → region
The Aporia
