Police nab prime suspect in Taveuni yaqona thefts

A special police taskforce has arrested the main suspect allegedly be­ hind a string of yaqona thefts on Taveuni.

Acting Divisional Police Com­mander North, Superintendent of Police (SP) Eroni Soqosoqo, said public assistance played a key role in apprehending 24-year-old Josaia Vatu of Komo, Lau, who has maternal links to Bouma Village.

At the time of the thefts, Vatu was residing at Vunibibi Settle­ment.

To curb the rising number of yaqona thefts, a 25-mem­ber taskforce was deployed in January, bringing in officers from various Northern Division posts.

Their mission to track down those illegally selling sto­len yaqona plants.

Yaqona theft is a growing con­cern, with hardworking farmers losing their income to thieves. Many have now installed CCTV cameras for added security.

A 30-day police surveillance operation started on January 24 and runs until February 23.

As part of this crackdown, po­lice are urging middlemen to verify the source of the yaqona before making purchases.

"We want to form a partner­ship with registered yaqona buyers to fact-check the source of the plants," he said.

A stern warning has been is­sued to middlemen and buy­ers-anyone caught purchasing stolen yaqona without proper verification will face arrest.

"Whoever buys it must justify that they are dealing with a le­gitimate seller," he added.

The taskforce will continue to focus on visibility and surveil­lance, areas where SP Soqosoqo believes police in Taveuni need to improve.

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