U.S to build Fiji boat ramp to combat drug smuggling

The United States will build a boat ramp in Fiji to help disrupt drug shipments, while Fiji’s maritime services will benefit from more than US$1.4 million (FJ$3 million) worth of surveillance equipment.

The U.S State Department announced the initiatives following a conference of Pacific police ministers in Los Angeles.

U.S Assistant Secretary of State Frank Weiland told reporters yesterday that Fiji’s large exclusive economic zone (EEZ) was “maybe the most important aspect of this problem”.

He said the equipment would give countries with small fleets “an increased ability to see virtually what else is going on out there on the high seas”.

Asked which equipment and companies would be involved, he said: “I can’t get into specifics.”

Mr Weiland said what was happening in Fiji was “frequently a reflection of what’s happening in the Western Hemisphere countries, especially when it comes to drugs and crime”.

The U.S Joint Interagency Task Force West will build the boat ramp. The surveillance equipment will also be provided to the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Fisheries Agency.

On January 15, Fiji Police and the US Drug Enforcement Administration seized 2.64 tonnes of cocaine linked to a semi-submersible vessel at Vatia, Tavua.

Police described the seizure as one of the largest drug seizures in Fiji’s history. Four Ecuadorians were among 11 people charged.

The conference’s joint statement said semi-submersibles used by drug cartels had been recovered in the waters of Fiji, the Marshall Islands and Solomon Islands.

Mr Weiland said the United States opened an office in Suva in 2024. Asked about expanding the office, he said the U.S was “in the process of doing so” but provided no further details.

The joint statement said the work would respect national sovereignty and be carried out “in accordance with national laws, capacities, and consent”.