Fiji: Drug war likely to continue into 2025 with armed confrontations more likely
Around 27 December, Assistant Chief of Police for Operations, Livai Driu, acknowledged that police had recovered pistols during drug raids carried out over 2024. Only one armed confrontation has occurred to date, with none occurring since at least April. The Fiji Police Force (FPF) also reported that the number of recorded offences in November 2024 increased by 19% compared to the previous November, including an increase in drug offending. Over 24 December, 16 arrests occurred across the country in an operation targeting the drug trade. Most arrests, both on 24 December and during November were related to marijuana (86%), followed by methamphetamine (14%). Less than 8 FPF officers were also charged in November for drug possession.
Assessment: The increase in drug offending highly likely represents the FPF’s more proactive approach toward drug crime over 2024, rather than a significant increase in trafficking. No raids have yielded the same amount of methamphetamine as the four tonnes seized in January 2024. However, the continued arrests indicate its ongoing presence, and the increase in firearms make an armed confrontation more likely in 2025.
Sources: Shania Shayal Prasad, “Pistols Found in Drug Raids,” FBC News, December 28, 2024; Reginald Chandar, “Sixteen Arrested in Nationwide Drug Raids,” FijiLive, December 25, 2024; Kreetika Kumar, “Eight Police Officers Face Criminal Charges,” FBC News, December 23, 2024; Karishma Kumari, Navitalai Naivalurua, and Vijay Narayan, “RFMF Proposes to Govt for Use of Firearms in Tackling Drug Issues with Police Where Needed,” Fijivillage, May 17, 2024; “Fiji's Meth Mountain 'Accounted for' and 'Secure' – Police Await Court's Decision,” RNZ, September 11, 2024.
