Fiji authorities are investigating the disappearance of 52.4 kilograms of cocaine from the Suva High Court’s exhibit room, after discovering that much of the evidence held for a major drug prosecution had been replaced with flour. The losses involve two separate criminal cases and have prompted changes to drug storage arrangements.
In the case involving Fiji-Canadian national Joshua Aziz Rahman, an inspection on 15 September found seven cocaine bars missing. Subsequent forensic testing of the remaining 32 bars returned negative results for cocaine, with local reporting identifying flour as the replacement substance. The original seizure weighed 39.5 kilograms.
Police then confirmed on 30 September that another 12.9 kilograms, linked to the prosecution of former Australian horse trainer John Nikolic, had disappeared from the same exhibit room. That loss was reported to police on 26 March but had not previously been publicly disclosed. Police said withholding details was intended to protect the investigation.
Commissioner of Police Rusiate Tudravu said investigators had identified six persons of interest connected to the judiciary, including one overseas, and recorded statements from 27 people. Officers from Totogo Police Station have since taken over security at the courthouse.
The investigation has also exposed failures in the courthouse’s security arrangements. Tudravu said much of the CCTV and biometric access equipment was not operating. Whether those systems had been deliberately tampered with remained subject to forensic investigation. He said responsibility for safeguarding exhibits rested with the judiciary once police handed them to the court.
Police are now centralising seized drugs at facilities with secure vaults, including Nadi, Lautoka and Totogo, and the Police Mobile Force. A separate team has been checking drugs and cash held across police divisions. Justice Minister Siromi Turaga said a review covered storage, access controls, CCTV, record-keeping and chain-of-custody procedures, with security upgrades under way at the High Court criminal registry.
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions said it had been preparing an application to destroy the Rahman drug exhibits when the missing evidence was discovered. It stressed that destruction must follow the appropriate legal process.
In an official statement, Turaga said the public was entitled to transparency and answers, and that failures in the handling and security of court exhibits must be treated seriously. He pledged to monitor recommendations from the independent criminal investigation to strengthen court infrastructure and evidence custody.
