Tudravu Orders Clean-Up After Drug Smuggling Arrests

In an extraordinary move to salvage public trust, Police Commissioner Rusiate Tudravu has ordered the removal of all officers seconded to the Fiji Narcotics Bureau.

This follows the arrest of two of its own in an alleged drug smuggling plot. The urgent purge comes amid deepening public scepticism over police integrity, with the commissioner confirming a full review of the bureau's operations and structure now underway.

"We had a meeting with the Minister for Policing and permanent secretary regarding the operations of the Counter Narcotics Bureau," Mr Tudravu said yesterday.

"We've agreed to urgently review the unit, look at a new structure, and re-advertise every post.

"All current officers will return to their original roles in the force, and those interested will have to reapply."

The clean-up follows the arrest of seven individuals in connection with a plot to allegedly smuggle more than four kilogrammes of methamphetamine into Fiji two weeks ago.

Among them are two police officers from the bureau, a senior manager at the Fiji Revenue and Customs Service (FRCS), and a foreign national. The drugs were intercepted at Nadi International Airport during a joint operation between the Fiji Police Force and FRCS.

According to a joint statement released on May 19, FRCS officers identified irregularities in an airfreight shipment from a Southeast African nation.

A detailed inspection uncovered several packets concealing over four kilogrammes of methamphetamine.

The Narcotics Bureau was established in July last year under the Ministry of Home Affairs to function as an independent entity.

However, its credibility is now in question after officers sworn to fight the drug trade were found allegedly aiding it.

Mr Tudravu, who inherited oversight of the bureau upon his appointment, expressed serious concerns about its operations and vowed to restore integrity to the nation's frontline drug enforcement body.

Investigations remain ongoing, with authorities warning the arrests could point to a wider criminal network operating within Fiji's borders.

Feedback: sosiveta.korobiau@fijisun.com.fj