Deportees on Police radar

Police and military are closely monitoring Australian criminal deportees in Fiji as joint operations continue to dismantle criminal networks in the country.

Police Commissioner Rusiate Tudravu said they were aware of the presence of criminal deportees in the country.

He said Police and military had noted that some of them had returned, and that they were on our radar

The $2 billion methamphetamine seized in Nadi and the $3 billion cocaine seized in Vatia were both destined for the Australian market.

Australia is one of the highest paying markets for meth and cocaine.

In both cases, there are links to the Australian-based KVT criminal syndicate – comprising Fijian gang members.

Speaking to the media yesterday, Mr Tudravu said joint operations relied on intel, and they had information of existing criminal networks.

“It’s a matter of untangling them,” he said.

Mr Tudravu admitted that investigation into large scale operations would take time, because they needed evidence.

“The military and Police, our scope of work or standard operations procedure has an intelligence component; from that intelligence, our operation can proceed, and then we have the execution by the two security forces,” he said.

Mr Tudravu said the Australian Federal Police and the Fiji Police Force work closely together in relation to sharing of intelligence.

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