Fiji court drug evidence allegedly swapped for flour, $10-plus million cocaine missing
More than $10 million worth of cocaine stored as evidence in a Fiji trafficking trial has been replaced with flour, prompting a police investigation.
In a striking breach of evidence handling, more than $10 million in cocaine stored at the Suva High Court for the long-running case against Fiji-Canadian Joshua Aziz Rahman was found to have been replaced with flour. The substitution involves 32 kg of the drug, and earlier reports had already noted a missing 7 kg, meaning 39 kg is now unaccounted for and could be worth as much as $15 million depending on purity. Police issued a statement confirming that forensic analysis of the seized material returned negative results, indicating tampering.
The investigation is now directed at individuals responsible for the High Court Registry’s evidence management, and a suspect believed to be overseas will be questioned. Fiji has struggled with drug-trafficking corruption, highlighted by the prime minister’s decision last year to dissolve the narcotics bureau after numerous officers faced charges. The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions has indicated that securing seized drugs falls under police jurisdiction, and officials have reiterated a commitment to probe every reported case of corruption.
Why it matters
The incident reveals deep vulnerabilities in Fiji's justice system and underscores ongoing challenges in combating transnational drug trafficking.
How the sides frame it
HIGH AGREEMENTBoth camps report the same core facts of cocaine evidence being swapped for flour, but centrist coverage stresses the breach of evidence handling and Fiji’s broader corruption issues, while right-leaning coverage highlights the theft as shocking, stresses the higher monetary value and the minister’s reaction.
CENTER
Centrist coverage frames the incident as a striking breach of evidence handling, emphasizing the missing cocaine’s value and linking it to Fiji’s broader drug-trafficking corruption.
RIGHT
Right-leaning coverage frames the incident as a shocking theft of high-value cocaine evidence, stressing the monetary figure, the overseas suspect, and the minister’s reaction.
The right emphasises
- theft and replacement of cocaine with flour
- value of the seized cocaine about US$31 million
- Justice Minister calling the breach shocking and questioning an overseas person of interest
In this story
