MP Notes Lack of Drug Screening Gear

Trafficking of illicit drug in Fiji are difficult to track down because domestic airports don’t have proper screening equipment in place.

Opposition Independent Member of Parliament Rinesh Sharma made this comment after concluding his recent visit to Savusavu and Labasa in Vanua Levu

Although there is no video surveillance at the terminals in Labasa, Savusavu and Taveuni, Mr Sharma said there was also no body or luggage screening like how it was done at Nadi and Nausori airports.

He revealed that during the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence consultation on Biological Diversity in Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction, the Fiji Revenue and Customs Service (FRCS) team was accompanied but its chief executive officer for the presentation.

He said while in Savusavu, the committee visited FRCS office because the challenges faced in there were different from Suva knowing that most of the borders were porous.

“My concern is a lot of illicit drugs that happens are unidentified and because domestic airports don’t have proper screening,” he said.

“Why do people say lot of yachts are going to Savusavu and not Denarau.”

“Because at Denarau there is a proper screening system and resources in place.”

He said the committee was deepening its knowledge beyond the submissions given by the stakeholders for their annual reports.

Response

In an email the Fiji Airports Limited (FAL) stated that to clarify, under the current risk assessment framework administered by the Civil Aviation Authority of Fiji (CAAF), only Nadi and Nausori Airports are officially designated as “security airports”.

This designation entails specific security infrastructure and screening requirements that are not in place at other domestic airports, such as Labasa.

At these domestic, non-designated locations, the responsibility for providing basic security oversight typically falls on police, when required.

For example, at Labasa Airport, there is a full-time police officer assigned to provide support and oversight on a daily basis.

AFL stated that airlines operating from these airports have also implemented their own mitigation measures for cargo and passenger safety.

These include:

• Physical checks of all cargo by airline staff prior to acceptance;
• Direct questioning of senders to verify the nature of the goods;
• Sealing of items only after inspection to reduce risk.

While these processes are not a substitute for formal screening technologies, they are part of a layered approach to risk management given the classification of the airport.

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