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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