From transit hub to drug market: Criminal syndicates transform Pacific threats

The seizure of 4.8 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine in Fiji this month sheds light on the level of criminal infiltration and insider threat in the agencies entrusted with safeguarding the nation. Allegations are levelled against members of Fiji’s Counter Narcotics Bureau (CNB) and the Fiji Revenue and Customs Services (FRCS) over involvement in trafficking.

A joint Fiji Police-FRCS operation led to the seizure of the methamphetamine hidden in packets of coffee from a Southeast African country at Nadi International Airport. Seven individuals have, so far, been charged, including two members of the CNB, the head of the FRCS intelligence unit, and a Nigerian national who attempted to flee Fiji. Fiji Police Commissioner Rusiate Tudravu has called for an urgent review of the CNB. Minister for Policing Ioane Naivalurua has since stated that the review is underway.

Narco corruption is not new in the Pacific. As one Pacific official said to me in 2022, “We can’t trust our own organisation … and we have to keep our families safe.” And as the Pacific Islands Forum’s transnational crime disruption strategy highlights, criminal groups, through corruption and foreign interference, “can use their power to install governments which make the environment more permissive.”

The rise of the insider threat is a useful barometer for measuring the evolution of Pacific criminal syndicates. The risk also illustrates the growth of local drug markets and the vulnerability of security agencies. Transnational crime, especially drug trafficking, has evolved and spread across the region with a speed and sophistication predicted by analysts, academics and security professionals but, until recently, underestimated by regional leaders, development donors and security partners.

Once perceived as remote and insulated, the Pacific region has become a focal point for transnational crime due to its strategic geography, porous borders, and limited enforcement capabilities. Transnational criminal syndicates have capitalised on the Pacific's vulnerabilities and fuelled local criminal practices. Pacific criminal syndicates have evolved from loosely organised groups to sophisticated networks with transnational reach. These organisations – some of which are cloaked in legitimate businesses, making detection difficult but not impossible – exploit connections to larger criminal entities in Asia and the Americas, serving as intermediaries in the movement of illicit drugs, weapons, money and people.

This month’s seizure of methamphetamines in Fiji highlights the disturbing expansion of drug markets within Pacific nations. Fiji Police Commissioner Tudravu, in response to the bust at Nadi International Airport, noted that Fiji has evolved from being a transit point to a market. This is not a new trend but one that is reshaping the transnational crime landscape. Pacific countries, once transit points for drugs destined for larger markets, specifically Australia and New Zealand, the “cash cows” of the regional drug trade, are seeing a surge in local demand, driven by social and economic inequalities and unemployment.

The infiltration of Pacific security agencies by criminal organisations and the rise of insider threats is one of the most destabilising consequences of transnational and organised crime activity and reach into the Pacific. The alleged involvement of Fiji’s Counter Narcotics Bureau members in the recent drug bust represents a broader trend of corruption within enforcement and judicial systems. Syndicates use bribery, coercion, and threats to compromise officials – and sometimes their family members – ensuring protection for their operations and access to sensitive intelligence.

Tackling transnational crime in the Pacific demands a multi-faceted approach. Regional collaboration is crucial, as no single nation can address these challenges alone. Organisations such as the Pacific Islands Forum, Pacific Islands Chiefs of Police (PICP), INTERPOL, and partners such as the Australian Federal Police and New Zealand Police, must play a larger role in facilitating intelligence sharing, operational support, and coordinated enforcement measures. Civil society and universities play a critical role in terms of research and convening power. The University of Canterbury’s Pacific Regional Security Hub symposium on transnational crime and regional security, held in March this year, identified criminal infiltration and insider threats as critical vulnerability in the fight against transnational crime.

Pacific security agencies will continue to be easy targets for criminal actors seeking to infiltrate and corrupt the security architecture. To counter this, regional governments and partners need to prioritise investment in aggressive anti-corruption strategies and high-level security vetting for law enforcement personnel and related security agencies and defence. The open sharing of intelligence through the potential creation of regional mechanisms is a priority. But without trust in the agencies, it cannot yet be undertaken. The onus is now on Pacific Island countries to take the lead on these responses, supported by their partners. A true Pacific-led partner-supported initiative, strengthening the regional security architecture.

The Pacific is at a critical juncture in its fight against transnational crime. The evolution of Pacific criminal syndicates, the growth of local drug markets, and the infiltration of security agencies have created a complex web of challenges that demand urgent and coordinated action. While recent events in Fiji underscore the severity of the problem, they also serve as a call to arms for regional governments, organisations, and communities to address these threats. Only through unified efforts can the Pacific safeguard its future from transnational organised crime.