The cocaine, valued at around 30 million Fijian dollars (about US$13.3 million), was seized in 2019 in a case involving Fiji-Canadian national Joshua Aziz Rahman and had been stored at the Suva High Court while legal proceedings continued.
Police began investigating after an inspection on September 15 found that seven of 39 cocaine bars were missing. Forensic testing later indicated that the remaining exhibits had also been tampered with and were no longer cocaine, with local media reporting that flour had been used as a substitute.
Fiji Police said the investigation is focused on individuals responsible for managing the exhibits at the High Court Registry. Authorities said a person of interest was overseas and would be questioned.
The incident has raised fresh concerns over evidence security as Fiji faces increasing pressure from transnational drug trafficking in the Pacific. Police have said security systems at the courthouse, including CCTV and biometric controls, had experienced problems during the relevant period.
