The illicit drug situation in Fiji has been described as a national emergency, with 2,400 drug-related cases recorded in 2025.
Minister for Policing and Communications, Ioane Naivalurua highlighted this during the National Talanoa Session on Responding to Illicit Drugs in Fiji at the R.B. Convention Centre in Lami this morning.
Naivalurua says most offenders are between the ages of 18 and 35, and behind every statistic is a disrupted home.
He says major drug interceptions have confirmed Fiji’s exposure to transnational trafficking groups and the growing link to methamphetamine use.
The Minister stresses that the situation is not only a policing issue but also a public health concern.
He says the National Counter-Narcotics Strategy 2023–2028 provides a framework built on demand reduction, supply reduction, harm reduction and legislative review.
Naivalurua says five key principles must guide the way forward: honesty, practicality, accountability, protection of the next generation, and balance.
He urged that discussions be frank, disciplined and lead to concrete action.
Insert: Fiji hasn’t lost the drug war 25th Feb
He adds that the treatment and rehabilitation for those impacted by drugs must also improve.
Meanwhile, a minute of silence was observed for late police officer Peni Racagi whose body was found on Sunday morning in Lami. Elements of foul play have been found following the post mortem.
The National Talanoa Session serves as a vital platform for turning shared insights into actionable strategies, addressing the interconnected challenges of drug trafficking, addiction and HIV through targeted interventions.
You can view the live coverage on our fijivillage Facebook page and YouTube channel.
The Transnational Crime Summit will be held in May this year.
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Serevi says supply reduction is not only about policing and border security, but also about moral courage, anti-corruption commitment and community vigilance.
He stresses that transparent and accountable leadership must be demonstrated by national policymakers, provincial leaders, village chiefs, pastors, school principals, coaches and parents.
Serevi says if leaders fail to act decisively, criminal networks will fill the gap.
He describes illicit drugs as a form of hybrid warfare, saying narcotics can systematically erode the core pillars of a sovereign state from within.
He says drugs steal clarity of mind, strength of body, stability of families and integrity of leadership.
Serevi says when the damage occurs at scale, it becomes a national crisis rather than an individual problem.
He warns that Fiji’s greatest resource is not gold, fisheries or tourism, but its people.
According to Serevi, when drugs infiltrate communities, youth lose educational focus, families fracture, crime increases and health systems come under pressure.
He says human capital declines, and with it the nation’s competitive edge — economically, morally and spiritually.
Serevi says even if narcotics are driven by profit, their large-scale distribution has strategic consequences, including youth incapacitation, economic destabilisation and social fragmentation.
He cautioned that weakened societies become vulnerable societies.
Serevi outlined three key responses — demand reduction, supply reduction and harm reduction.
On demand reduction, he highlighted the role of rugby academies, churches and schools in providing structured, value-based environments for young people.
He says at the Serevi International Rugby Academy, the focus goes beyond passing and tackling to teaching discipline, respect, self-control and accountability.
Serevi says drugs often fill a vacuum of identity and belonging, and strong institutions such as sport, faith communities and schools can provide young people with purpose.
On harm reduction, he emphasised rehabilitation, counselling and reintegration for those already affected.
Referencing the Gospel of John, he says condemnation should not be the final word for those who have fallen, but compassion must be balanced with accountability.
Serevi says this is not only a government issue, but a vanua issue, a church issue, a family issue, a school issue and a sport issue.
Serevi is urging renewed national commitment to protect Fiji’s children and youth, warning that if illicit drugs erode human capital, undermine sovereignty and weaken social cohesion, the country’s response must be equally strategic and coordinated.
A lot of times we have asked assistance from the government, and many times they have turned their back on us.
This was the blunt message delivered by Elia Berabi, a youth representative for Seek to Save Ministry, during the National Talanoa Session on Responding to Illicit Drugs in Fiji: Renewing Commitment Through Action, in Lami.
Berabi says that despite repeated pleas for support, his ministry continues to operate largely on passion and personal sacrifice.
Berabi says they currently support 20 young people between the ages of 14 and 27, many of whom were once living on the streets of Suva.
He says 70 percent of the youths in his care are HIV positive, while half entered the programme battling drug addiction.
He recounted how the ministry began in 2023, after he and his younger brother were moved by increasing reports of drug abuse among young people.
Disturbed by the number of street children they encountered in Suva, the brothers decided to act.
Despite not being financially stable, he and his brother brought several of the children home to live with him and his family in Colo-i-Suva.
Insert: Berabi - Connect with them
Through consistent conversations, he discovered that many of the youths had left home due to family breakdowns, abuse and neglect.
Berabi says several had parents who had remarried, and described being mistreated by step-parents.
In contrast, they found acceptance and shared companionship on the streets.
He adds that many were introduced to drugs through peers while seeking belonging and emotional support.
Beyond counselling, Berabi says the ministry has established an agricultural project aimed at giving the youths purpose and economic independence.
Starting with five acres of land, the group planted crops worth $15,000.
They have since expanded to 25 additional acres in Colo-i-Suva and now have crops valued at $35,000, with markets reportedly opening overseas.
Berabi has also opened term deposit accounts for the youths, with a target of $35,000 in savings for each child within three years.
The programme operates on a structured daily routine, beginning at 7am with devotion, chores and farm work.
Berabi says the transformation has been remarkable.
However, he admits that the journey has not been easy, that he and his wife house nearly 20 youths in their home, and shoulder much of the financial burden themselves.
Insert: Berabi - A living testimony
Berabi has challenged the leaders and stakeholders at the talanoa session to move beyond dialogue and take practical action.
He says Fiji needs people with passion, who are proactive, and those who truly love this nation.
There is an urgent need for the introduction of needle syringe programmes in Fiji as part of a broader harm reduction strategy, alongside supply and demand reduction measures due to the increasing number of people getting HIV through the sharing of needles.
This has been highlighted by Doctor Virginia Macdonald of the Kirby Institute from Australia during the National Talanoa Session on Responding to Illicit Drugs in Fiji: Renewing Commitment Through Action, in Lami.
Doctor Macdonald revealed that research conducted last year by the Kirby Institute in partnership with Fiji National University found that nearly all surveyed drug users in Suva were injecting drugs and all had shared needles because sterile equipment was unavailable.
She argued that withholding sterile injecting equipment does not stop drug use but instead increases the risk of HIV and hepatitis C transmission, leading to lifelong infections and greater strain on the health system.
She says harm reduction is about accepting the reality that some people are using drugs and focusing on reducing the harm they experience while they are using.
Doctor Macdonald says it is about treating people with dignity and maintaining their health.
She also acknowledges that some may view needle syringe programmes as condoning drug use, but says decades of global evidence show otherwise.
50 percent of people living with HIV in Fiji are people who inject drugs, and only about 30 percent of those living with HIV are aware of their status.
This stark warning was delivered by Doctor Macdonald, who has been serving as a technical adviser supporting Fiji’s HIV Unit at the Ministry of Health over the past year with backing from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, says the country is facing a rapidly escalating HIV outbreak driven largely by unsafe injecting practices.
She highlights that the Minister for Health had declared an HIV outbreak at the beginning of 2025 following a sharp surge in cases.
According to United Nations estimates, approximately 7,000 people are now living with HIV in Fiji, up from around 1,000 in 2020, an increase of about 300 percent over the past two to three years.
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She stresses that while drug use is often blamed, it is not the act of using drugs itself that causes HIV infection, but the sharing of contaminated needles and syringes.
She says more than 90 countries have implemented such programmes, which have been recommended by the World Health Organisation for over 20 years, and in Australia, they have operated for nearly four decades.
Insert: Dr Macdonald - Response to emergency
Dr Macdonald adds that these programmes can serve as a critical entry point into the health system for marginalised individuals, linking them to drug treatment and other essential services.
She warns that while supply and demand reduction strategies are important, they can take years to achieve measurable impact.
Fiji has maritime borders that require increased funding, particularly for the Fiji Navy, as well as stronger narcotics diplomacy with countries such as Australia and New Zealand.
Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions, John Rabuku raised this during the National Talanoa Session on Responding to Illicit Drugs in Fiji; Renewing Commitment Through Action, held at the R.B. Convention Centre in Lami.
He says nobody is doing surveillance 24/7, which allowed two major drug shipments to reach Fiji’s borders in broad daylight.
Rabuku says the Navy's budget is 12 percent of the entire RFMF budget, but we have the most porous borders.
He also says Australia and New Zealand should provide greater financial support, as many of the drugs originate from or pass through their countries.
Insert: Rabuku on political will 25th Feb
The Deputy DPP further stresses the government must allocate more funding to asset recovery as well, noting that significant funds remain unused in certain accounts.
Rabuku says that tonnes of drugs are entering through maritime routes.
He adds that a proper asset recovery system would allow authorities to seize illicit proceeds and redirect the money toward combating the drug crisis in communities and supporting rehabilitation programmes.
Meanwhile, the Minister for Policing Ioane Naivalurua has stressed that we will defeat the drug war.
He called to act now and help in reducing the supply of drugs in our country.
Naivalurua adds that we need to tighten our borders, secure not only the airports, but the open seas.
21 percent of people living in Fiji do not use condoms when they should, and families are not having this conversation.
This sobering reality was highlighted by Dr Jason Mitchell, Chairman of the Fiji National HIV Outbreak Cluster Response Taskforce, during the National Talanoa Session on Responding to Illicit Drugs in Fiji: Renewing Commitment Through Action, in Lami.
Dr Mitchell warns that sexual transmission remains the most common way people become infected with HIV in Fiji, even as cases linked to injecting drug use continue to surge.
Dr Mitchell stresses that increasing condom use must be a national priority.
He revealed that 48 percent of people currently infected with HIV in Fiji acquired the virus through the sharing of needles and syringes.
However, Dr Mitchell says that the crisis is no longer confined to people who inject drugs, but through sexual contact, including to women who may not use drugs themselves but are infected by partners who do.
He raises concerns about mother-to-child transmission, warning that untreated pregnant women can pass HIV to their babies, as he notes that Fiji is seeing a worrying rise in HIV cases among children.
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He is calling for a comprehensive response that includes increased condom use, needle and syringe programmes, pre-exposure and post-exposure prophylaxis, alongside community and faith-based support.
He says the idea that we can educate ourselves out of this is incorrect, and that we need practical, biological interventions in the hands of our people.
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