COCAINE PACKAGES HELD AS EVIDENCE REPLACED WITH FLOUR

SUVA, SEPTEMBER 29 /SRNA-Reuters/ - Around 40 kilograms of cocaine being held as evidence in a major drug-trafficking case was replaced with flour in the evidence storage facility in Fiji, police said.

An investigation was launched after it was discovered on September 15 that seven of the 39 packages of cocaine were missing from the evidence storage room, while the remaining 32 packages had been filled with flour.

Police said forensic testing of the remaining drugs confirmed that the evidence had been tampered with and added that they would question the person responsible for safeguarding the evidence, who is reportedly abroad.

According to media reports, the cocaine stolen from the High Court in Suva was worth around $31 million on the black market.

The media added that the cocaine was seized from Fijian-Canadian national Joshua Aziz Rahman in 2019 and had been kept at the court as evidence since an appeal was filed against his conviction in 2021.