ODPP rejects delay claims in 2.6-tonne cocaine case

The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions has rejected claims of delays in Fiji’s largest cocaine trafficking case.

Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions John Rabuku made the submission in the High Court in Ba today during proceedings in the Vatia drugs case, after Justice Samuela Qica requested an update on the proposed destruction of the seized drugs.

He said the six-month timeline since arrests was reasonable given the scale and complexity of the investigation.

Mr Rabuku told the court that the matter involved extensive coordination with international law enforcement agencies and significant evidence gathering, which justified the timeframe since the arrests were made.

“Six months for a 2.6-tonne cocaine case is not even a hold-up. These are massive investigations,” he said.

The case centres on 2.6 tonnes of cocaine allegedly transported from Ecuador to Fiji, with investigators working to establish links between overseas and local actors.

Mr Rabuku said the defence had already been provided with substantial disclosures, including caution interviews, witness statements, analyst reports and photographic evidence.

He added that the prosecution was continuing investigations to address any potential loopholes before the matter proceeds to trial.

Mr Rabuku compared the case to the earlier Legalega drug matter, which took nearly a year to reach trial.

“The complaint that this matter has taken six months is unfair because if you look at Legalega, it took almost a year before we arrived at trial," Mr Rabuku told the court.

He assured the court that the accused would not be prejudiced by the timeline, noting they would be provided with any additional evidence gathered in the coming months.

While a trial has been indicated for next year, Mr Rabuku said prosecutors still had time to complete investigations and full disclosures.

“We will provide a full set of disclosures, including everything gathered over the past six months. Investigations may continue for another two or three months, but the defence will still have ample time to prepare for trial,” he said.

The court was also told that immunity had been granted to certain individuals, with statements recorded and the necessary notices filed.

Mr Rabuku confirmed that amended information had been filed for all three case files, outlining the evidence already disclosed to the accused persons.

“We will provide a full set of disclosures, including everything gathered over the past six months,” he said.

He noted that investigations were likely to continue for another two to three months but maintained that the defence would still have ample time to prepare.

Mr Rabuku said the prosecution would consider consolidating the three cases into a single proceeding once full disclosure was completed. The issue of destroying the drugs would be addressed only after that stage.

“They have not indicated whether they dispute that the substance is cocaine. None of the defence lawyers have requested retesting,” he said.

The 2.6 tonnes of cocaine remains in police custody in Suva, he said.

Mr Rabuku also told the court that investigators were examining claims by four Ecuadorian nationals that they were forced to participate in the operation.

“We have to verify whether they genuinely acted under duress or whether they were part of the cartel,” he said.

He added that if the claims were substantiated, issues of human trafficking could arise.

“All these matters take time. We have been transparent with the court about the progress of the case from the outset,” Mr Rabuku said.

The trial is expected to proceed next year, giving both the prosecution and defence time to complete preparations and disclosures.