The drug trade is increasingly prevalent among low-income earners.
This, according to ACP operations officer, Livai Driu to this newspaper, who reported that 2024 has seen the highest number of drug cases, primarily driven by individuals becoming involved in drug cultivation.
“It’s because of the volume of drugs, especially the cultivation, that we’ve been receiving,” ACP Driu said.
“And it is happening not only in the known areas.
“Now we’ve seen like in Rakiraki, it’s quite new to us to see the Lau Group, the Lomaiviti Group, Koro.”
He said this trend is not confined to traditional areas known for drug activity and will continue to ‘pop up’ in more unexpected areas.
He said Fiji’s law enforcement agencies were actively addressing these developments, with teams dedicated to information sharing and targeting key areas of concern.
“Most of the children that we’ve been arresting live in informal settlements.
“Here in Suva and when we talk about informal settlements, we talk about Nanuku, we talk about Jittu estate.
“And those are some of, most of our suspects.”
Additionally, ACP Driu said the drug trade is increasingly targeting students, particularly those at institutions such as the University of the South Pacific (USP) and the Fiji National University (FNU).
“We know those students that are USP students.
“That is the main reason why now we are targeting those parameters of FNU, USP and other schools.”
‘Surge in drug trade a among poor’
