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In Suva, Fiji's capital, nearly 40kg (88lb) of cocaine worth £10.4 million that was being held as evidence in a drug case has gone missing from the Suva High Court Registry. Police discovered seven out of 39 cocaine bars were missing on September 15 and subsequent forensic tests revealed the remaining exhibits had been replaced with flour, indicating tampering. Authorities are investigating those responsible for managing the exhibits at the court registry, and the justice minister emphasized that anyone involved would face legal consequences.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-01,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
39 kilograms of cocaine worth up to $15 million stored at the Suva High Court in Fiji has gone missing or been replaced with flour during a long-running drug trial involving Joshua Aziz Rahman. Initially, 7 kg were reported missing earlier this month; forensic tests later confirmed that the remaining 32 kg had also been tampered with and replaced with flour. The stolen cocaine was being used as evidence in Rahman's case, who faced charges of drug trafficking but successfully appealed his conviction and is now back on trial. Fiji Police are investigating those directly responsible for managing court exhibits, including issues with CCTV and biometric security failures during the theft period.
Written for “Cocaine Stolen Replaced With Flour” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 3 other(s) covering the same event.
Nearly 40kg (88lb) of cocaine being held as evidence in a major Fiji drug case has gone missing, police confirmed on Tuesday.
asserted
police → hold → Tuesday
The drug haul was being stored as evidence at the Suva High Court Registry, in the capital of the Pacific island nation, during the long-running trial of Fiji-Canadian national Joshua Aziz Rahman as he appealed against his 2021 conviction and sentence.
asserted
he → store → conviction
Police first began investigating a theft on September 15 after seven out of 39 cocaine bars were discovered missing.
asserted
bars → begin → September
Forensic testing on the remaining 32 bars has since confirmed the remaining exhibits were tampered with and were replaced with flour, according to Fiji Village.
uncertain
exhibits → remain → Village
This means about 39.5kg of cocaine, valued at about $31 million Fiji dollars (£10.4 million), is unaccounted for, local media added.
asserted
media → mean → dollars
On Tuesday afternoon, Fiji Police issued a statement confirming "forensic tests" of the drugs had come back negative for illicit drugs.
asserted
tests → issue → drugs
"The exhibits were all tampered with, and the investigation is focused on those directly charged with the management of the exhibits at the High Court Registry," the statement said.
asserted
statement → tamper → Registry
"A person of interest allegedly involved in the incident is currently overseas and will be questioned."
Justice Minister Siromi Turaga said those responsible for the theft would face the full force of the law.
"It's shocking ... no one will be spared," he told news outlet Fiji One.
uncertain
he → involve → outlet
Fiji police said cases involving drugs such as methamphetamine and cocaine have surged since 2018.
asserted
cases → say → 2018
In 2024, the United Nations said Fiji had emerged as a regional hub for drug trafficking in the Pacific.
asserted
Fiji → say → Pacific
The number of drug arrests, mainly linked to methamphetamine, more than tripled in 2023, it added in a report.
asserted
it → link → report
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