Thieves swipe drugs under nose of Fiji police, swap with flour

A view of the port in Suva, Fiji, Sep 5, 2024. (File photo: REUTERS/Kirsty Needham)

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SYDNEY: Detectives were sifting leads Wednesday (Sep 30) after a massive drug heist in Fiji, searching for dozens of cocaine parcels swiped from an evidence vault and replaced with baking flour.

Better known for stunning beaches that draw tourists in droves, the South Pacific nation has become an unlikely stopover for cartels shipping drugs from Latin America into Australia.

The police in Fiji seized 39 bricks of cocaine in a 2019 raid, each weighing around 1kg and wrapped in plastic.

Police Commissioner Rusiate Tudravu said investigators noticed seven bricks had gone missing earlier this year.

This prompted forensic testing of the remaining haul held inside an evidence vault at the High Court in capital Suva.

Tests showed the cocaine once held inside the vault had been swiped under the nose of police and swapped with bundles of flour.

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