Fiji Police are yet to comment on what they are doing in relation to 49 year old Sam Amine whose name was highlighted by Lautoka High Court Judge, Justice Aruna Aluthge in the $2 billion methamphetamine bust case in Nadi, that Amine, based in Australia, with a foreign drug syndicate (Russian or Hispanic), orchestrated the shipment that delivered the consignment of methamphetamine into Fiji.
There are reports by the ABC that Amine is awaiting sentence in the NSW District Court after pleading guilty to brokering the supply of the drugs and firearm.
A statement of facts tendered to court detailed Amine telling an undercover officer that the 500 grams of MDMA on offer was "light but very strong" and arranging the supply of a weapon.
Two days later, surveillance images presented in court show Amine's nephew Nabil Allouche getting into the police officer's car outside the Greenacre McDonald's.
Court documents state the drugs referenced by Amine were exchanged for AUD$20,000.
When police forensically examined the drugs they found the MDMA had a purity level of 77.5 percent.
By May, Operation Kraken again contacted Amine looking for a firearm.
Amine, using the handle "DK", offered a loaded .45 calibre pistol for AUD$30,000 and sent a photo of the weapon.
Two days later, police surveillance recorded an undercover officer purchasing the firearm for AUD$28,000.
A week later, court documents state Amine brokered the sale of 986 grams of MDMA and 56 grams of cocaine to the undercover police officer.
This time police swooped on Allouche after the AUD$48,000 exchange and Amine is arrested a short time later.
The NSW Crime Commission has seized AUD$10 million worth of Amine's assets.
A previous bail hearing heard he had connections to the Alameddine crime family and the KVT, a Western Sydney street gang of Fijian-Australians.
Meanwhile Lautoka High Court Judge, Justice Aruna Aluthge said in his judgement in August last year that the successful $2 billion methamphetamine raid in December 2023 in Nadi, 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 that 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 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.
fijivillage News is still awaiting comments from Fiji Police on Sam Amine.
The separate case also continues in the Lautoka High Court regarding the State filing a restraining order application and a subsequent forfeiture application on two properties valued at approximately $8.2 million comprising an area of 1,293 square metres, a property and a land comprising of 1,157 square metres, in Denarau, Nadi, identified during a financial investigation as properties used to store 4.1 tonnes of methamphetamine.
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions confirms the respondents in the matter are Denarau Fitness PTE LTD, Sam Amine, Rasha Kurdi and Mherina Ali Ahmed.
The two properties remain under restraint pursuant to orders granted by the High Court last year.
The State has appeared for an inter parte mention of its application for a restraining order over rental income generated from the two restrained Denarau properties, pending determination of a civil forfeiture application.
