Country must act quickly as calls grow for counter-narcotics agency

Fiji must act quickly to confront its escalating drug crisis, leaders say, as calls grow for the creation of an independent counter-narcotics agency.

Church leaders, government officials and community representatives meeting in Suva said existing enforcement structures were no longer sufficient to address the scale and sophistication of the problem.

Faith Harvest Centre senior pastor Manasa Kolivuso said urgent reform was needed.

“We need an independent, completely independent entity,” he said.

“Independent from the police, independent from the military an agency given special powers to deal specifically with the crisis we are facing.”

Drug enforcement is currently handled under existing structures and laws, some of which are decades old. Critics argue those laws have not kept pace with modern drug networks, online communication and organised crime.

“There are also concerns about operational gaps. Some community members claim suspects are warned before raids take place,” Pastor Kolivuso said.

“Others point to legal limits that require police to find a person in possession of drugs before making an arrest a rule they say allows dealers to escape prosecution.”

Pastor Kolivuso said Fiji does not have a standalone counter-narcotics agency.

Supporters believe a new agency should have stronger investigative powers and operate independently to reduce interference and corruption.

However, officials stressed that enforcement alone would not resolve the crisis.

Permanent Secretary for Justice Selina Kuruleca said the country must confront the reality of the situation.

“Drugs are no longer a fringe criminal issue,” she said. “They are a full-scale public health emergency. It is a child protection emergency and a justice emergency.”

Recent figures show thousands of drug-related cases over the past two years, many involving young people. Fiji has also recorded a sharp rise in new HIV cases in 2025, with links to substance abuse and risky behaviour.

“For every teenager who picks up meth, this tells us that the system has failed,” Ms Kuruleca said.

She said unsafe homes, trauma, poverty and lack of supervision made children more vulnerable.