There is confirmation based on evidence presented in the $2 billion methamphetamine trial of the 9 convicted drug accused that three foreigners involved in this case were in their unflagged superyacht which was loaded with more than 4.5 tonnes of methamphetamine.
There is confirmation based on evidence presented in the $2 billion methamphetamine trial of the 9 convicted drug accused that three foreigners involved in this case were in their unflagged superyacht which was loaded with more than 4.5 tonnes of methamphetamine, the largest illicit drug consignment ever found in the Pacific.
High Court Judge, Justice Aruna Aluthge says the consignment was transferred to a local barge in the high seas and offloaded safely at Fantasy Island near Denarau.
It has been revealed that the consignment was then transferred to various locations undetected for more than three weeks until it was finally detected and seized by the police in two different places near Nadi, thanks to a local informant.
About 14 suspects were arrested and only nine of them were indicted on multiple counts.
The rest were either released or granted immunity to be made witnesses for the State.
According to prosecution witness, Ratu Isoa Dina who was the skipper of the barge, one of the accused, David Heritage wanted him to go with one of his boys and a Russian man.
They left Vuda Marina on 23rd December 2023, at around 1pm.
Dina said the Russian man was communicating with somebody using his satellite phone and was able to locate the yacht at about 6pm.
He revealed that on the yacht were two white men and a man who looked Mexican.
Dina confirmed that they moved closer, and the barge was tied to the yacht.
The Russian man then jumped onto the yacht.
The barge skipper said they then started offloading the sealed containers from the yacht to the Mobby-II.
The entire unloading process took nearly two hours.
Dina said he was scared during the offloading process because he suspected the containers contained drugs.
According to Dina, after the offloading was over, they headed back based on Devid Heritage’s instructions.
When they anchored, Heritage went to drop off the Russian man at Vuda Marina.
He returned with a truck onto which the containers were loaded.
Upon completion of the second trip, Heritage gave Dina $2,000 in addition to his captain's salary.
Dina says Heritage told him to relax because he had connections with the police, the army and the navy.
Dina said that the Russian man looked normal, and his presence did not intimidate him.
He said no one threatened him, but he got scared upon seeing the unloading.
The 9 accused persons charged in relation to the 4.1 plus tonnes of methamphetamine bust in Nadi have been found guilty by the Lautoka High Court, and their sentence hearing will take place on Friday.
Justin Ho, David Heritage, Louie Logaivau, Jale Aukerea, Sakiusa Tuva, Ratu Aporosa Davelevu, Ratu Osea Levula, Cathy Tuirabe and Viliame Colawaliku were charged with the importation and possession of 4.1 plus tonnes of methamphetamine between November 2023 and January 2024 in Nadi.
Additionally Justin Ho, Louie Logaivau and Jale Aukerea were charged with having property suspected of being the proceeds of a crime.
Justice Aruna Aluthge found the accused persons guilty of their respective charges.
Ratu Aporosa Davelevu and Louie Logaivau were found not guilty of count 6 for unlawful possession of illicit drugs and count 11 for possession of property suspected of being proceeds of crime.
Ho and David Heritage facilitated the importation of 4,800 kilograms of methamphetamine.
Heritage and Louie Frank Penijamini Logaivau are charged with unlawful possession Of illicit drugs on the 23rd of December 2023, at Fantasy Island, Nadi, without lawful authority.
Ho and Logaivau are also charged with unlawful possession of illicit drugs in Denarau, Nadi.
They were in possession of 4,800 kilograms of methamphetamine. Logaivau and Ratu Aporosa Davelevu are charged with unlawful possession of illicit drugs between the 28th of December, 2023 and the 29th of December, 2023 in Nadi.
They engaged in the dealing for the transfer and transport of 4,800 kilograms of methamphetamine.
Logaivau and Ratu Aporosa Davelevu are charged with unlawful possession of illicit drugs on the 29th of December, 2023, at Motorex Yard, Nadi back road without lawful authority.
Sakiusa Tuva, Ratu Osea Levula, and Cathy Tuirabe are charged with unlawful possession of illicit drugs between the 29th of December, 2023 to the 14th of January, 2024, in Nadi without lawful authority. They were engaged in dealing for the transfer and transport of 4,800 kilograms of methamphetamine.
Jale Aukerea is charged with unlawful possession of illicit drug between 13th January 2024 to 20th January, 2024, in Nadi without lawful authority. He engaged in dealing for the transfer and transport of 1,100 kilograms of methamphetamine.
Justin Ho is also charged with possession of property suspected of being proceeds of crime on 23rd January 2024 in Taveuni, possessed cash amounting to FJ$21,691.60, AUD$450.00 and USD$100.00 suspected of being proceeds of crime.
Logaivau is also charged with possession of property suspected of being proceeds of crime on the 23rd of January 2024 in Taveuni. He possessed cash amounting to FJD$112.25 suspected of being proceeds of crime.
Jale Aukerea is charged with possession of property suspected of being proceeds of crime on the 23rd of January 2024 in Taveuni.
He possessed cash amounting to FJD$2,100.85 suspected of being proceeds of crime.
One of the 9 convicted persons in the $2 billion methamphetamine trial, David Heritage had approached David Wright, a person who runs a barge business in Vuda as he wanted to charter Wright’s barge in December 2023.
This barge was later used by Heritage to pick up the 4.5 tonnes of methamphetamine from an unflagged superyacht.
According to the court evidence, prosecution witness Wright said that the stated purpose given to him by Heritage was to deliver some food and fuel to a yacht in the Yasawas.
While giving evidence in the High Court, Wright confirmed he owns the barge called 'Mobby II'.
He said that he had agreed and gave the barge with his crew, headed by Ratu Isoa Dina
Heritage paid $3,000 in cash and requested that the food and fuel be delivered to the yacht before sunrise.
Wright said he arranged his crew to leave before midnight on 21st December 2023.
They embarked on the journey and returned to Vuda Marina on the 22nd with the same load of diesel and bags.
He said Heritage then explained that he had been given the wrong coordinates and wanted Wright’s barge to be chartered again, for which he was paid an additional $3,000.
After the barge left Vuda on the second charter, Wright said he was worried because it could not be contacted for some time. Eventually, he received a call from Heritage seeking permission to stay the night at Malolo Island and return to Vuda the next morning.
Wright said upon his return to Vuda, Heritage contacted him again to organise another charter, saying they needed to take some rubbish off the same yacht.
Wright said that he arranged the third charter upon the transfer of $3,000 to his account.
The 9 accused persons charged in relation to the 4.1 plus tonnes of methamphetamine bust in Nadi have been found guilty by the Lautoka High Court, and their sentence hearing will take place on Friday.
Justin Ho, David Heritage, Louie Logaivau, Jale Aukerea, Sakiusa Tuva, Ratu Aporosa Davelevu, Ratu Osea Levula, Cathy Tuirabe and Viliame Colawaliku were charged with the importation and possession of 4.1 plus tonnes of methamphetamine between November 2023 and January 2024 in Nadi.
One of the 9 convicted drug accused in the $2 billion methamphetamine trial who also gave evidence for the prosecution, Cathy Tuirabe has said she was wrapping packages in a house in Nadi that contained both kava and methamphetamine, and pasting labels titled 'Kadavu Kava' on packages in December 2023.
While giving evidence in court, Tuirabe said that they wrapped two balls of ten packets and took them to Transit Hotel.
She said when her friend would say his boss was coming to the Nadi house, she was advised to keep away from there.
Tuirabe said she knew one of the accused, Jale Aukerea was the boss at Kava Kings where her friend was working.
She said she also helped stick the labels on methamphetamine parcels in another house in Legalega.
She was being paid $100 to $300 a night for her service.
Tuirabe confirmed when the police came to raid the corrugated iron house at Legalega, she was still there.
She escaped through the back door.
Under cross-examination, Tuirabe agreed that she pleaded guilty to the charge to ask the Court for leniency for a lesser sentence.
She said her lawyer had explained to her that the minimum sentence is 20 years imprisonment.
When asked by the Court, she confirmed that she pleaded guilty because she felt she was guilty. She agreed that at the time the plea was taken, she received no assurance from Court that she would get a lenient sentence.
The 9 accused persons charged in relation to the 4.1 plus tonnes of methamphetamine bust in Nadi have been found guilty by the Lautoka High Court, and their sentence hearing will take place on Friday.
Justin Ho, David Heritage, Louie Logaivau, Jale Aukerea, Sakiusa Tuva, Ratu Aporosa Davelevu, Ratu Osea Levula, Cathy Tuirabe and Viliame Colawaliku were charged with the importation and possession of 4.1 plus tonnes of methamphetamine between November 2023 and January 2024 in Nadi.
One of the most trusted people in convicted drug accused, Justin Ho's drug circle who has turned into a prosecution witness has agreed that the drug circle dealing with the $2 billion worth of methamphetamine was connected to the Russian drug mafia.
While speaking in the Lautoka High Court, the witness identified as NR, agreed that when he failed to comply with Justin Ho's demands, he was under pressure to face consequences, including death threats.
He confirmed that has been assaulted seven times already and stabbed as well by masked men.
NR says his brother-in-law had asked for his help in building Justin Ho's apartment in Denarau.
He was assigned to build an apartment at the first warehouse out of the three.
He also resided there and dined with Justin Ho.
Only Justin Ho had access to that 2nd warehouse.
NR confirmed he completed the construction in mid-December 2022 and went back to Suva.
In mid-2023, Justin Ho assigned him to take a container from Nadi to Suva and deliver it to a man.
He said the container was sealed and wrapped, and Justin Ho told him that it contained meth.
NR said after he delivered it to the man, he was given a parcel of money.
He came back to Denarau and gave the money to Justin Ho, and he then received $500.
NR revealed that on 13th January 2024, the police arrested him in Nausori and charged him with being in possession of methamphetamine that co-accused, Sakiusa Tuva had distributed at the unloading of the drugs.
He said the police grilled him to find out where the methamphetamine bulk was.
He then took the officers to the Voivoi Settlement in Legalega and showed them the corrugated iron house where the containers were unloaded.
He said he knew the consignment of meth belonged to Justin Ho because he was the one who had given him the job.
NR agreed that he was not charged with having methamphetamine in his possession in Nausori to reward him for providing information to the police to raid the house at Legalega.
Police assured him that he wouldn't go to jail and he agreed to sign the immunity letter because he had promised to give evidence for the State.
He agreed that he had been summoned to give evidence on previous occasions but failed to come to court because some boys had assaulted him.
The key prosecution witness also admitted that when he delivered Justin Ho's meth to other places in Fiji, he was rewarded with cocaine and money.
He admitted that he had deposited a significant amount of cash (between $25,000 to $100,000) in the bank account under the name Charles Miller.
The 9 accused persons charged in relation to the 4.1 plus tonnes of methamphetamine bust in Nadi have been found guilty by the Lautoka High Court, and their sentence hearing will take place on Friday.
Justin Ho, David Heritage, Louie Logaivau, Jale Aukerea, Sakiusa Tuva, Ratu Aporosa Davelevu, Ratu Osea Levula, Cathy Tuirabe and Viliame Colawaliku were charged with the importation and possession of 4.1 plus tonnes of methamphetamine between November 2023 and January 2024 in Nadi.
Sakiusa Tuva, one of the 9 convicted drug accused in the $2 billion methamphetamine trial, agreed in the Lautoka High Court that he refused to give police the password for the app, Threema, which was being used by about 10 people to communicate with each other because he did not want to be a snitch and knew the price that comes with leaking the information.
He said the price of leaking the information would be death.
Under cross-examination, Tuva agreed that 7 members were in the group sharing information on the app.
Tuva who turned into a prosecution witness said that he pleaded guilty to the charges because he did it and worships one God, who will give him mercy.
He confirms that co-accused, Jale Aukerea is his cousin and the owner of Kava Kings.
Tuva revealed that Aukerea approached him in Denarau and employed him as his foreman to do maintenance work at his shop.
He described how he guided the truck containing methamphetamine from Motorex to Legalega in December 2023.
He got in Aukerea's car at the Votualevu Junction.
As soon as he entered Aukerea's car, Aukerea took his phone and installed the messaging app called Threema for him to receive messages.
Tuva also confirmed in court that he was the recruiter for his boss, and he recruited co-accused Ratu Osea Levula and Cathy Tuirabe.
The 9 accused persons charged in relation to the 4.1 plus tonnes of methamphetamine bust in Nadi have been found guilty by the Lautoka High Court, and their sentence hearing will take place on Friday.
Justin Ho, David Heritage, Louie Logaivau, Jale Aukerea, Sakiusa Tuva, Ratu Aporosa Davelevu, Ratu Osea Levula, Cathy Tuirabe and Viliame Colawaliku were charged with the importation and possession of 4.1 plus tonnes of methamphetamine between November 2023 and January 2024 in Nadi.
It has been revealed that the one of the masterminds in the $2 billion drug operation in Nadi, Justin Ho was arrested in Cobia, a no-man's land, after he had gone missing from Nadi shortly after the drug bust, and Lautoka High Court Judge Justice Aruna Aluthge says the suspicion of the Police was well-founded that the $21,691.60 cash found on Ho was proceeds of crime based on information available to them that was never discredited.
Justice Aluthge says no plausible explanation was given for Ho’s presence on Cobia island off Vanua Levu and for carrying a large sum of money with him.
He says it was risky for Justin Ho to take such a large sum of money without depositing it in the bank, especially when he had a bank access card in his bag.
The judge says although it was suggested that the money came from Justin Ho's legitimate business, that suggestion was not supported by evidence to indicate that the money was obtained directly or indirectly from a legitimate enterprise.
During the search, Justin Ho remained silent while the Police officer was counting the money.
Justice Aluthge says Ho had plenty of opportunities to disclose the source of the money if it was legitimate.
In his caution statement, Justin Ho claimed that the money was given to him by Norman Fisher.
Norman Fisher, under oath, denied that claim. Justice Aluthge highlighted that co-accused in the case, Louie Logaivou and LV confirmed that the Subzero Car Wash was shut down when the water blasters were broken in early December 2023.
The café was closed when Justin Ho's business partners withdrew.
According to co-accused, David Heritage's caution statement, the car wash was kept closed most of the time.
The barber shop was not performing well.
The judge said it was said that the $30,000 cash that was given to David Heritage had been received by Australian businessman, Sam Amine.
The judge said Justin Ho was spending generously on drinking, golfing, and clubbing as a 'funny' man.
He said other evidence revealed that Justin Ho conducted only cash transactions outside the banking system.
Justice Aluthge confirmed Ho did not have funds in his bank account when the Court required him to show money for his bail bond.
It was said in court that Ho invited the then Cabinet Minister, Faiyaz Koya to open his barbershop, from which even Louie Logaivou believed that Justin Ho was a genuine businessman.
Justice Aluthge said the only conclusion that can be drawn from these facts is that Justin Ho was operating those businesses as a 'front' to disguise the illicit origins of the money, making it appear as if the funds came from legitimate business activities.
No evidence was produced to show that Justin Ho had no reasonable grounds for suspecting that the money referred to in the charge was derived or realised, directly or indirectly, from any unlawful activity.
The charge of possession of proceeds of crime has been established.
Co-accused, Jale Aukerea was arrested in the same circumstances as Justin Ho in Cobia Island.
He does not deny that $2000 odd money was seized from him.
Aukerea said under oath that he was running three businesses, making a profit of $3000 a week.
He said that the money he had in his possession was to buy kava in Taveuni to be sold at his Kava Kings outlet.
In his caution statement, Aukerea had not told the police that he owned three businesses, and that the money was from his kava business.
The judge established that Aukerea's evidence is not credible.
He said there is ample evidence to suggest that Aukerea operated the kava bar as a front to sell methamphetamine in the local market.
One of the prosecution witnesses in the $2 billion methamphetamine bust case, Norman Fisher said he had nothing to do with the methamphetamine consignment that had come into Fiji in December 2023.
While giving evidence, he denied any knowledge of the drugs and also denied that he had threatened one of the accused, Justin Ho.
Fisher says he had known Justin Ho for roughly a decade, and he and his family used to socialise with Ho at the Northern Club.
He denied having threatened Ho that he will kill him and his family if Ho failed to follow his instructions to deal with methamphetamine.
High Court Judge, Justice Aruna Aluthge said Ho had never lodged any complaint either in 2023 or 2024, claiming that he had been threatened.
Under cross-examination by accused, David Heritage, Norman Fisher admitted that prosecution witness, NR is his relative.
Fisher admitted that he was charged for impersonating one Charles Miller and giving false information to open a bank account at Bred Bank, to which he pleaded guilty.
He denied driving or owning a black Audi.
He also could not recall if he was at the Navakai True Mart car park in a black Audi on 28th December 2023.
When shown a photograph of the True Mart car park, Norman Fisher denied that the person in the black Audi was him.
Fisher also confirmed that Justin Ho was the best man at his wedding and he asked why he would threaten someone who was his best man.
He also said that accused Jale Aukerea is his family friend.
Fisher confirmed that he had grog once or twice at Kava Kings, which Aukerea owned.
Fisher also denied picking some containers from the truck with NR.
He agreed that police officers had been to his house several times in January 2024 regarding this case.
He denied going into hiding from 27th to 28th January 2024.
His Australian visa was cancelled because he did not renew his permanent residency.
He acknowledged knowing Sevu, a police officer from Suva but denied receiving any information from Sevu about police raids.
There have been revelations in the $2 billion methamphetamine bust case in Nadi that Australian businessman, Sam Amine had told one of the accused, David Heritage in November 2023 that a consignment of drugs was expected to arrive in Fiji, and Heritage gave evidence that Amine asked him if he could arrange the shipment and offered to pay him.
While giving his evidence in the Lautoka High Court trial, Heritage said he was running a marine repairs business called David Marine Repairs in Denarau.
He said in 2023, Sam Amine approached him and engaged him to look after Amine's jet skis and outboard motors at his workshop.
Heritage said Amine, a Lebanese, owned the workshop where Justin Ho operated.
According to records, Amine had also opened up a gym in Denarau in 2014.
Heritage said in his evidence that Sam Amine indicated that Justin Ho would give him $30,000 for the drug consignment work to cover his expenses and asked him to be in contact with Justin Ho when Amine was not around.
Heritage confirmed he agreed to take on the job.
Threema App
He confirms that Justin Ho then handed him a mobile phone with the Threema app installed on it. On this app, only Sam Amine and Justin Ho were to communicate with him using code names.
Heritage confirmed that one week before the trip, Justin Ho visited his workshop and gave him $30,000.
He said on the 20th or 21st December 2023, Amine messaged the exact coordinates indicating where he was supposed to go to locate the super yacht.
Heritage said that when they eventually got the coordinates, the yacht was too far away from Viva, the Fijian border.
He said the people on the Threema app forced him to go to that location.
They managed to go to that location, but they still could not find the yacht.
When he messaged Justin Ho to inform him that the yacht was not there, Justin Ho started swearing at him and forced him to go out again.
Heritage said that it was dark, so they slept at Musket Cove and returned to Vuda Marina in the morning.
He said as soon as he got out of the car when they returned, Justin Ho came in a tinted Hyundai with a short European guy whom Justin Ho introduced as his Russian friend.
Heritage said that it was the first time he had met this Russian man.
He said the Russian started questioning him about the first trip, and when he explained that he could not find the yacht, the Russian man forced him to go out again and locate the yacht somehow.
Heritage said that the Russian man insisted in a military voice that he needed to use the same barge, and the Russian kept pressuring him and took a picture of his vehicle number plate and told him, 'I know what car you're driving, and where you live'.
He later said that as they went to Vuda Marina, the Russian man pulled out a gun and pointed it at his head and told him not to lie and arrange everything for the shipment with Justin Ho.
Heritage said in his evidence that he was warned that if not, the Russian man will start with his children, cut them into pieces and feed them to the sharks.
He said he was so scared and thought of the Russian mafia and the Russian couple that was cut into pieces and dumped in Natadola.
Heritage said when the barge arrived at Fantasy Island, he took the Russian man and dropped him at Vuda Marina, where his car was.
He said he told everything to the police except for the threatening part, because he couldn't trust the police.
Heritage said that if someone had informed the cartel, they would have come straight to him.
He believed that no one could escape the mafia and even the police wouldn't be able to protect him and his family.
Under cross-examination, Heritage agreed that in early November, he undertook to facilitate the shipment of drugs into the country and until 22nd December 2023, there had been no threats to him.
He agreed that he never went to the police or reported to anybody when he already knew that a large consignment of drugs was being brought into the country, and also when it was already offloaded and stored in his office at Denarau.
He agreed that for the whole of November 2023, he, Justin Ho and Sam Amine communicated with each other on the Threema app about the drugs being brought into the country.
He agreed that $30,000 was received to facilitate the shipment of the drugs into the country.
Heritage said he had neither seen the Russian man nor known his history until being introduced to him by Justin Ho.
He also admitted that he was expecting $2 million that was promised to facilitate the shipment of drugs into Fiji so that it could improve his business.
He said that Justin Ho had control and the keys to the warehouse where the drugs were kept.
He said he was only paid to paint the floor of that warehouse around the middle of January by Sam Amine.
Heritage said Justin Ho had also told him that Sam Amine was charged and remanded in Australia for drug-related offences. He also agreed, having told the police that the coordinates were given to him by Justin Ho and not by Sam Amine through the App.
He denied deleting the WhatsApp messages because he wanted to hide his conversations with the Russian man that took place before 20th December 2023.
He explained that he changed his guilty plea to a not guilty plea after a discussion with his wife so that he could tell his side of the story.
He still feels the fear instilled in him by the Russian man, but he now dares to reveal the Russian connection after discussing it with his wife and setting up lights around his house for protection.
Australian businessman, Sam Amine who has been highlighted in the $2 billion methamphetamine bust trial, was earlier cleared of Fiji drugs charges and returned to Australia in July 2022 after charges that he possessed an illicit substance, anabolic steroids, on a trip to Fiji, were dropped.
In September 2024, court documents reported by news.com.au said that Australian Police alleged Sydney-based Fiji gym owner Sam Amine, directed NRL star Brandon Wakeham and content creator Nabil Allouche in the ongoing supply of illicit drugs.
It said Amine, the alleged leader of a criminal network linked to NRL star Brandon Wakeham was overheard boasting about his ties to the Alameddine and KVT crime syndicates.
All three men were arrested in May 2024 after a months-long investigation by the state’s specialist drug and firearm investigation squad.
Amine and Allouche had appeared before the NSW Supreme Court to apply for bail after spending months behind bars on remand. Australian Police alleged that Amine used an encrypted application to arrange for the supply of MDMA, cocaine, and a gun to an undercover police officer on six occasions between February and April 2024.
According to Australian police, Amine would finalise the negotiations on a dedicated encrypted phone before arranging for Wakeham or Allouche to deliver the illicit goods.
After Amine was arrested, the officer in charge of the investigation said he was overheard telling another inmate that he was linked to the Alameddine crime network.
The officer said Amine also spoke about his connection to the alleged leader of the KVT crime gang, Joseph Vokai (known as ‘Joe Fresh’) during intercepted phone calls.
The court was told the pair had spoken on the phone multiple times and Vokai socialised with Amine at Allouche’s birthday party, which Wakeham also attended.
Vokai was not charged with any wrongdoing.
However, Amine’s barrister Greg James SC argued there was “no evidence whatsoever” in the surveillance to suggest Amine was linked to either crime network.
He said his client had denied any involvement with drug supply and claimed the encrypted phone was left in his car by an unknown person during a lengthy interview with police.
The officer in charge told the court that surveillance footage showed Amine using the phone at the time when supply messages were being exchanged with the undercover cop.
Lautoka High Court Judge, Justice Aruna Aluthge says the successful $2 billion methamphetamine raid in December 2023, investigation and prosecution of the case proves that the Fijian law enforcement agencies, despite many challenges they face, are still capable of tackling the challenges posed by sophisticated drug cartels which were equipped with super yachts, satellite phones, encrypted messaging apps and the blessings of local politicians.
In his ruling, Justice Aluthge said the prosecution proved beyond reasonable doubt that Justin Ho and David Heritage jointly executed the master plan drawn by Australian businessman, Sam Amine to bring the largest ever hard illicit drug consignment into Fiji.
Justice Aluthge has ruled that it was further proved that each of the 9 accused at some stage encountered or was in control of the consignment with the intention to possess and knowledge that they were dealing with illicit drugs.
The judge said that the 6th accused, Jale Aukerea played a major role in financing and facilitating the transfer, storing and processing, while the 5th accused, Sakiusa Tuva played a medium role in recruiting, transferring and processing the drugs for local consumption.
He said others were small players drawn to the business due to poverty.
Justice Aluthge added that it was not crystal clear where this drug consignment originated and where it was heading.
The judge said that it can reasonably be inferred that it originated from a Latin American country and was heading to Australia or New Zealand where methamphetamine fetches a good price, while Fiji retains its position as the transit point.
He said it is evident that a small quantity infiltrated the local market and was used by the intermediaries to drug the recruits to work as peddlers and couriers or mules.
Justice Aluthge said there is evidence suggesting an involvement of a foreign drug cartel comprising Russians, Latinos and Aussies working in collaboration with Fijian counterparts.
However, he said there is no proof that a Russian mafia gang was involved.
The judge said the Russian mafia narrative was brought into the centre stage by the accused to buttress their defence of duress.
Justice Aluthge also highlighted the undetected importation of such a huge consignment of hard drugs into Fiji through sea routes proves how weak our border protection mechanism was.
He added there was alarming evidence that some officers of the Narcotics Bureau of the Fiji Police Force, whose task was to free Fiji from the drug menace, were complicit with drug dealers.
However, there is no plausible evidence that the accused in this case were deterred from reporting due to the trust issues with the Fiji Police Force.
He said there is no doubt that Sam Amine, based in Australia, with a foreign drug syndicate (Russian or Hispanic), orchestrated the shipment that delivered the consignment of methamphetamine into Fiji.
The judge highlighted that David Heritage and Justin Ho played major roles in importing and storing the drugs in Denarau.
He said that although Aukerea and Tuva played key roles in renting houses for storage, arranging transport and recruiting people, Justin Ho had been the controlling authority.
The judge highlighted that this was confirmed further by his post-offence conduct.
It was highlighted that Ho attempted to flee the Fiji jurisdiction to Wallis and Futuna with Louie Logaivou and Jale Aukerea.
Justice Aluthge said $21,000 cash found on Justin Ho suggests that he was the leader in the escape plan and the main beneficiary of the illicit drug activity in Fiji.
It has been revealed that Ho with the two others were arrested in Cobia island, a no-man's land, after he had gone missing from Nadi shortly after the drug bust in December 2023.
Justin Ho, David Heritage, Louie Logaivau, Jale Aukerea, Sakiusa Tuva, Ratu Aporosa Davelevu, Ratu Osea Levula, Cathy Tuirabe and Viliame Colawaliku will be sentenced on Wednesday.
As the 9 convicted people in the $2 billion methamphetamine bust trial are sentenced by Lautoka High Court Judge, Justice Aruna Aluthge today, the evidence presented by the prosecution also highlighted Police investigators from Nakasi saying they did not want information to be leaked when they found out about the large consignment of drugs in Nadi in 2024.
Ifereimi Savou who was employed at the CID headquarters in Nakasi as the Eastern Divisional Crime Officer said that on 13th January 2024, at about 8pm, two officers informed him that a large consignment of methamphetamine was stored in a house at Legalega.
Savou said the source did not want any other police officers within the organisation to conduct the raid.
He said they trusted only the Eastern Division team and his team was concerned about the safety of the source and that of the officers handling the source.
It was highlighted that they did not want to run the risk of this information being leaked to others.
It has been revealed that the Divisional Police Commander authorised the team to proceed down to Legalega to check on the information.
They obtained a search warrant and travelled to Legalega on the same night.
At 3.30am, 14th January 2024, Corporal Tom Matebula informed that they were able to locate the house where a large consignment of containers, believed to be drugs, were stacked.
Having informed the Director CID and the Divisional Police Commander, he instructed the team to remove the containers from that house and take them to Namaka Police Station immediately, considering the risk and the safety concerns of the officers.
The team suspected that the occupants were still around because they had found food that was still warm.
The team was taking pictures when they were loading all those items in the truck and sending them to Savou on Viber.
Police Corporal Tom Matebula who was based at the Eastern Division Task Force at Nausori Police Station on 13th January 2024, said his team was investigating a theft case in Nausori.
They noticed a suspicious vehicle with tinted glasses in Nausori Town, and managed to stop the vehicle and searched the vehicle in the presence of the driver named NR.
The team discovered some white substances in a zip lock bag, believed to be methamphetamine.
NR was escorted to Nakasi Police Station.
The team received information from NR that the drugs seized from him was brought from Nadi.
The eight-member team later proceeded to the residence of Resident Magistrate Charles Ratakele and obtained a search warrant.
After obtaining the search warrant, his team and NR left Nakasi Police Station at about 10pm in two vehicles and arrived in Nadi at 2am on 14th January 2024.
They avoided Namaka Police Station because they were worried that the information will be leaked to Western police officers.
When they entered the house, they noticed containers filled with drugs stacked all over inside the house.
The State Counsel has urged Justice Aruna Aluthge to impose a sentence of 50 years for Justin Ho, David Heritage and Jale Aukerea.
They have also asked for 30-year sentences for Sakiusa Tuva and Louie Logaivau, and 20 to 25 years for Aporosa Davelevu, Ratu Osea Levula, Cathy Tuirabe, and Viliame Colawailiku.
An indepth look into the 4.5 tonnes drug bust in Nadi
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