Cocaine seized in Australian's arrest goes missing in Fiji

Fiji Police have confirmed another 12.9 kilograms of cocaine is missing from an evidence room at the country's high court, brining the total now stolen across Fiji courtrooms to more than 52kg.  

Yesterday Fiji Police revealed 32kg of cocaine stored at the Suva High Court for the long-running trial of Fiji-Canadian national Joshua Aziz Rahman had been replaced with flour and is now effectively missing. 

Two weeks ago it was announced 7kg of cocaine had been stolen from the Suva High Court.

Following a public outcry, Fiji Police held a press conference in Suva on Wednesday to update on their investigation. 

Senior Superintendent of Fiji Police Peni Tuivaga confirmed parts of the CCTV at the courthouse's evidence room were not working and the biometric security was faulty during the period when the drugs were stolen, and the 32kg was replaced with flour. 

Following further questioning from local media on how widespread the issue has become, Superintendent Tuivaga confirmed 12.9kg seized during a 2018 raid on Australian horse trainer John Nikolic's yacht had also disappeared.   

"All the cocaine is stolen,"

he said.

Nikolic was found guilty in 2019 of two charges of importing illicit drugs and was sentenced to at least 18 years jail. 

The drugs were not destroyed as an appeals process was ongoing, as per orders from the country's court.  

"In regards to this [Nikolic's] case, the application for destruction [in March] led us to the missing drugs," Fiji Police Commissioner Rusiate Tudravu said. 

"I'm very concerned about it, we all want these drugs to be destroyed after."

Depending on the purity of the 52kg of missing cocaine, its street value could be worth more than $20 million.

Commissioner Tudravu said the judiciary, and police, were now conducting a full audit of other exhibits in its possession.  

"There is an audit team going around all police stations, focusing [on] drugs and cash," he said. 

Flour swapped for cocaine

Commissioner Tudravu said there were six people of interest who had access to the evidence room that Fiji Police were focusing on, with one person currently overseas. 

However he confirmed that the cocaine in the court evidence room was the responsibility of the judiciary.       

"Once it is deposited in the Suva High Court exhibit room, we are not there to guard it," he said. 

"They [the court] have their own arrangements.

"It's like your home, you're the boss of your home, I cannot come in and tell you I'll guard your home."

In a statement released on Wednesday, Fiji's Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions said its policies around drug destruction had changed since the establishment of the country's anti-narcotics division in 2024.  

It said it was now "prioritising applications" for destruction of drug exhibits. 

Fiji has become ground zero in the Pacific's struggle with transnational drug trafficking. 

In January police alleged they seized 2.6 tonnes of cocaine, worth about $780 million, in a raid on a suspected drug operation in the remote north-west of the country's largest island.

That cocaine is due for a destruction order this month.      

An ABC investigation earlier this year uncovered widespread Australian connections in the transportation of drugs through the country.

Earlier this month Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced $600 million for a new Pacific-wide initiative to combat the surge of illicit drug smuggling in the region.