Seven cocaine bars vanish from Fiji evidence locker, replaced with flour
Seven cocaine bars disappeared from Fiji court evidence storage and were replaced with flour.
Fijian police launched an investigation. Cocaine bars had vanished from evidence storage in two separate court cases.
Seven of 39 one-kilo bars went missing. The remaining bars tested negative for drugs.
They had been swapped for flour. The bars originally tested positive for cocaine in February and July 2019.
They were then moved to the High Court in 2021. The missing stash was valued at about A$10 million.
Police Commissioner Rusiate Tudravu confirmed drugs from another case had been missing since March. Six people of interest have been identified.
Investigators are piecing together how the exhibits were handled in court.
- 7 of 39 one-kilo bars
- Bars missing
- A$10 million
- Estimated value
- 6
- People of interest
- Rusiate Tudravu
- Police Commissioner
Why it mattersEvidence tampering undermines criminal cases. It raises questions about security and oversight in the court system. This could harm prosecutions.
AustraliaNo direct Australian effect yet, but the case highlights security gaps in Pacific court systems that could affect how Australian authorities manage extraditions and joint investigations with the region.
Corroborated bythenightly.com.au
✓ Claims checked against the source. checked 1 h ago
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