The government has declared the country’s narcotics crisis an existential threat as the Ministry of Policing revealed that police seized more than 19 tonnes of marijuana worth $194.2 million and 4.1 kilograms of methamphetamine was confiscated valued at $1.3 million between March and September this year.
This was shared by the Minister for Policing Ioane Naivalurua during his ministerial statement today.
Naivalurua says between January 2024 and August 2025, police registered 3,096 cases of unlawful possession and 205 cases of cultivation, with 3,441 people arrested most of them youths aged 18 to 35.
The Minister for Policing stressed that Fiji’s drug problem is overwhelmingly a youth issue, warning that a substantial portion of our young people, who should be shaping the future of our nation, are instead being drawn into the cycle of drugs.
He says the impacts are already visible as children are exposed to drugs in schools, vulnerable youths loitering the streets, corruption among some law enforcement officers, and even village leaders condoning cultivation for profit.
Furthermore amid speculation following the arrest of four police officers seconded to the Counter-Narcotics Bureau, the government confirmed the Bureau will not be abolished.
The Minister stresses that enforcement alone is not enough, calling for a multi-stakeholder approach that includes prevention, education, community resilience and livelihood opportunities to steer people away from the drug trade.
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