40kg Cocaine Worth $13.3m Stolen From Fiji Courthouse

Police in Fiji are investigating the theft of nearly 40 kilograms of cocaine stored as evidence at the Suva High Court.

The drugs, worth 30 million Fijian dollars, about $13.3 million, were seized in 2019 and kept in the court vault while appeals in a major drug case were ongoing. Officers found that the exhibits had been replaced with flour and other counterfeit substances.

The cocaine was linked to a 2019 case involving Fiji-Canadian national Joshua Rahman, who was convicted of unlawful possession, according to official records.

Exhibits found missing during inspection

The discovery was made during an inspection on September 15. Officials found that seven out of 39 cocaine bars were missing, police said.

A further check showed that none of the original cocaine remained. The remaining bars had been swapped for fake substances.

"Forensic tests conducted on the remaining drug exhibits have all returned negative," police said in a statement on Tuesday. "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."

Police Commissioner Rusiate Tudravu said on Wednesday that the cocaine was placed in the High Court vault in March 2021. It had been confirmed as cocaine in a previous test in 2019, but it is not clear when the theft occurred.

Six judiciary staff under investigation

Tudravu said police have identified six persons of interest who work in the judiciary department and had access to the vault. One of them is currently out of the country.

Officers are now re-checking all other exhibits held by the court, including seized cash.

The incident has raised concerns about security within the judicial system and drawn criticism from lawmakers and members of the public.

Opposition politician Jone Usamate, speaking in Parliament, said: "The replacement of the cocaine with flour, whatever it is, that is a sad indictment of whoever is responsible. How do you know now that what is in all those exhibits is really what is claimed to be in the exhibits?"

Justice Minister Siromi Turaga expressed disappointment and shock over the theft. He said authorities were working to upgrade security and review existing protocols at the High Court.