Police Confirm $10 Million of Court Evidence Cocaine Replaced with Flour in Fiji
- More than $10 million worth of cocaine held as court evidence in Suva, Fiji, has been swapped out for flour, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
- Authorities discovered the discrepancy at the Suva High Court this month when officials prepared to destroy the evidence.
- Fiji Police issued a statement Tuesday confirming that forensic tests on the exhibits came back negative and that the drugs had been replaced with flour.
More than $10 million worth of cocaine held as court evidence in Suva, Fiji, has been swapped out for flour, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Police confirmed Tuesday that 39 kilograms of the drug connected to a high-profile drug-trafficking trial is now missing or compromised, marking another internal security breach within the nation’s legal and law enforcement authorities.
Missing Cocaine Discovered During Evidence Destruction
Authorities discovered the discrepancy at the Suva High Court this month when officials prepared to destroy the evidence. The cache included 32 kilograms of cocaine tied to the long-running trial of Fiji-Canadian national Joshua Aziz Rahman, alongside another 7 kilograms reported missing earlier by local media outlet Fiji Village.
Depending on the purity of the narcotics, the missing 39 kilograms carries an estimated street value as high as $15 million. Rahman was convicted in 2021 and sentenced to 23 years in prison, but he successfully appealed and walked free in February 2026. Fiji’s public prosecutor subsequently appealed that decision and won, reinstating the conviction. Under local legal practice, evidence typically remains secured in the courtroom until the complete appeal process concludes.
Police Open Internal Tampering Investigation
Fiji Police issued a statement Tuesday confirming that forensic tests on the exhibits came back negative and that the drugs had been replaced with flour.
Every single exhibit suffered interference, shifting the probe’s attention toward the staff officially tasked with overseeing them at the High Court Registry.
Fiji Police
Police added that a person of interest allegedly involved in the incident is currently overseas and will be questioned. While the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions indicated that the storing and securing of drugs is a police matter, the exact responsibility for managing the missing registry items remains under review.
Wider Transnational Drug Crisis and Institutional Reforms
The registry breach unfolds as Fiji grapples with a broader regional surge in transnational drug trafficking. In recent weeks, twenty-seven bricks of cocaine have washed ashore on remote Komo Island, prompting anxiety among local residents. Earlier this year, an ABC investigation highlighted Australian connections in transporting narcotics through the Pacific island nation.
Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka disbanded the country’s narcotics bureau last year after 27 officers faced court for drug-related offences over a three-year span. Assistant Commissioner Mesake Waqa acknowledged ongoing challenges with internal integrity earlier this year while speaking to the ABC’s Foreign Correspondent program.
Corruption is something that has challenged us for quite some time. We have officers who have crossed the line, and we have been transparent about it; in every case that is reported to us, we will investigate it.
Mesake Waqa