Drug accused duo allege theft of cash and passport before arrest

Two Chinese nationals facing drug charges have alleged that thousands of dollars and a passport were stolen from them prior to their arrest.

Xu Qiang and Wang An, both unemployed and in Fiji on six-month tourist visas, appeared before Magistrate Mareta Tikoisuva at the Nadi Magistrate Court this morning.

They are each charged with one count of unlawful possession of illicit drugs, after allegedly being found with 805.657 grams of crystal methamphetamine on September 23 in Nadi.

During the court proceedings, their lawyer Rajshneel Chand told the magistrate that Xu claimed his bag had been stolen, containing FJ$7000 and his passport. Wang also reported that US$100 (FJ$226.30) and FJ$5000 were missing.

Magistrate Tikoisuva advised the accused that they could lodge a formal complaint with police regarding the alleged theft.

Mr Chand requested assistance from the court-appointed Chinese translator to help file the report, but the translator said that his role was limited to courtroom interpretation and would not extend to the police station.

As a result, Mr Chand opted to use his own Chinese-to-English translation app to assist his clients in lodging the complaint.

Police prosecution was represented by Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Parmesh Chand. 

The magistrate explained that the quantity of drugs allegedly found exceeded the threshold for Category 4 offences, which applies to amounts between 500 grams and 1 kilogram and carries a potential sentence of 15 to 22 years’ imprisonment.

The pair were further remanded. The case was adjourned to October 6 for plea at the High Court in Lautoka.