Fiji authorities are investigating the theft of multiple cocaine bricks from an evidence vault in the capital, Suva, after discovering that some of the seized drugs had been replaced with baking flour. The incident came to light earlier this year during routine checks of a shipment confiscated in 2019.

In the original operation, police seized 39 bricks of cocaine, each weighing approximately one kilogram and wrapped in plastic. Police Commissioner Rusiate Tudravu confirmed that seven of these bricks were found to be missing during recent inspections. Subsequent forensic tests revealed that the remaining parcels, which were still held in the evidence vault at the High Court, no longer contained any traces of illicit drugs. Instead, they had been substituted with flour.

Initial drug tests conducted at the time of the seizure in 2019 had confirmed the bricks contained cocaine. Commissioner Tudravu assured the public that Fiji police are treating the matter with the highest priority and are rigorously pursuing leads to identify those responsible for the theft. The government has also expressed serious concerns regarding the breach in evidence security.

Fiji, renowned for its beaches and tourism, has increasingly become a transit point for drug trafficking networks. The South Pacific nation, along with neighboring islands such as Tonga, lies along established ocean routes used by cartels to move cocaine shipments from Latin America en route to Australia.

Authorities have not yet disclosed details on any suspects or security lapses that may have facilitated the theft. Investigation efforts remain ongoing as law enforcement officials work to recover the missing narcotics and prevent further breaches within the justice system.