Fiji police discover dozens of parcels containing cocaine along coastline

More than 60 packages containing suspected “white substances” have been discovered along different parts of Fiji’s coastline.

Fiji Police said 27 of the parcels were found in the Lau Group, and have been sent to the forensic laboratory in Suva for testing, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

Another 35 packages were recovered floating near Munia Island.

In a separate earlier case, a sealed transparent bag containing white material was found in Kadavu and later tested positive for cocaine.

On the morning of June 20, another parcel was discovered washed up on the shoreline near a settlement in Qamea.

“All efforts are being directed to retrieve all packages for testing by the Forensics Department,” Fiji Police said in a statement.

“Liaison with regional and local law enforcement stakeholders continues to identify the source and destination of the parcels.

“Members of the public living along coastal areas are urged to immediately report the discovery of any suspicious parcels to 1681, and avoid handling or opening them.”

The findings come amid a wider regional surge in drug-related activity. Earlier this month, Samoa’s acting police commissioner said officers had conducted 20 drug raids in the first five months of the year.

Separately, the Australian Federal Police reported that 17 tonnes of illicit drugs — mainly cocaine — have been seized across the Pacific since January, more than triple the total recorded in 2025.

Earlier this month, New Zealand Customs officers intercepted around 100kg of cocaine, valued at up to NZ$35 million, hidden inside a shipping container at the Port of Tauranga.

Pacific law enforcement leaders have also backed the introduction of Pacific Watch, an online crime-reporting platform, while Australian and New Zealand authorities have agreed to fund a new strike force in Colombia aimed at disrupting Pacific-linked drug trafficking networks.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov