Police uncover tapes in $50m missing cocaine probe

Police have found tapes believed to have been used to seal cocaine that is now missing from the Suva Court exhibit room.

The discovery was made on Friday at the Valelevu home of a former senior judiciary officer and her husband.

More than 20 police officers from the Criminal Investigations Department, Forensics and the Dog Unit were seen at the two-storey residence during the operation.

The former senior judiciary officer is believed to be one of the key persons of interest in the disappearance of the cocaine, which is valued at more than $50 million.

The officer is believed to have left the country.

When this newspaper visited the residence on Friday, her husband was seen being questioned by police.

Man questioned over exhibit tampering

In its latest update, Police said investigators continued to question an individual believed to have been involved in the tampering of exhibits at the Suva High Court.

The individual is closely linked to one of the six persons of interest directly charged with the management of exhibits.

He is currently being questioned at the Criminal Investigations Department Headquarters.

Persons of interest

Meanwhile, investigations continue into the involvement of other persons of interest.

Police have so far identified six persons of interest as part of the investigation into the missing drugs.

Residents in the settlement said the two-storey concrete and wooden house was built in 2023 on the foundation of the couple's previous corrugated iron house, which was dismantled.

Some residents also claimed there were occasions when the couple would leave their home between 2am and 4am, with the husband returning alone later.

Several judiciary staff members spoken to by this newspaper said there were nights when the former senior officer would stay late or sleep at the Suva court premises.

The missing drugs were exhibits from two separate major cocaine cases involving Australian national John Nicholic and Canadian national Joshua Aziz Rahman.

Nicholic was arrested in 2018 and sentenced in 2019 after he was found in possession of 12.9 kilograms of imported cocaine and 65 tablets containing cocaine and methamphetamine.

The drugs were valued at between $20 million and $30 million.

Rahman was arrested in 2019 with 39.5kg of cocaine valued at $31 million. He was sentenced in 2021.

The drugs from both cases were kept in the exhibit room at the High Court Registry, despite the cases having concluded years ago.

The exhibit room did not have a proper security system.

The administration of the courts falls under Chief Registrar Tomasi Bainivalu, who has declined to comment, citing the ongoing police investigation.

Police investigations into the disappearance of the cocaine are continuing.