Three men ran from police officers on beat patrol in Ba who were about to question them after watching them act suspiciously.[1] During the foot chase a plastic bag holding several sachets of dried leaves believed to be marijuana fell from one of the suspects.[1] Police said they know who the three men are and investigations into the Ba incident were continuing.[2] No one was reported arrested in the Ba chase, and the weight of the suspected marijuana was not given.[1]

Assistant Commissioner of Police Operations Kasiano Vusonilawe said arrests for unlawful cultivation of illicit drugs were made in Savusavu and Taveuni over the past week, with no plant or area totals published.[1] Arrests for unlawful possession of illicit drugs were recorded in Fiji’s four other police divisions, and the number of people held in each was not stated.[2] Frontline officers and a joint task force supported by the Republic of Fiji Military Forces in Nadi and Lautoka carried out the arrests.[1] Cash believed to be proceeds of crime was seized during the operations, but its amount and currency were not disclosed.[2]

Vusonilawe said the operations target both green and white drugs, local shorthand for marijuana and harder drugs, and that some of those arrested were repeat offenders.[1] The Fiji Detector Dog Unit and other law enforcement partners were being deployed to strengthen the effort against the illicit drug trade.[2] Police urged the public to report suspicious or drug-related activity by calling Crime Stoppers on 1681.[2]