Drone finds more than 7,000 marijuana plants in Natewa, no arrests
Police in Fiji's Northern Division seized more than 7,000 marijuana plants, some over four metres tall, from a farm at Qaranibali in Vusasivo, Natewa, on 25 March 2026. A drone found the plantation during Operation Sasamaki; the plants were taken for analysis and police said three months later that no arrests had been made.
🇫🇯 Qaranibali farming area, Vusasivo, Natewa, Northern Division · Fiji
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- Arrested
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The Operation Sasamaki team in Fiji’s Northern Division seized more than 7,000
green plants believed to be marijuana from a farm in the Qaranibali farming area
at Vusasivo, Natewa.[1] The raid took place on the morning of 25 March 2026.[2] No one had been arrested three months later, police said.[3]
Some of the plants stood more than four metres tall.[4] The seized plants were
to be sent for analysis, police said.[1] A drone located the plantation and
led officers to it.[1] Police described the plants as believed to be marijuana
rather than confirmed cannabis.[1]
On 17 June 2026, police spokesperson Ana Naisoro said investigations were
continuing and that enforcement operations, including drone surveillance, had
been intensified in areas known for cultivation.[3] She said drones had played
a key role in locating illicit farms and supporting operational efforts on the
ground.[3] “Drones have always been used to comb areas known for cultivation,
and this has significantly assisted operational efforts,” she said.[3]
Sources
- Drones uncover a massive marijuana farm in the North. FBC News, 26 March 2026.
- More than 7000 marijuana plants seized in North raid. Fiji Sun, 26 March 2026.
- No arrests made three months after major marijuana farm discovery. Fiji Sun, 17 June 2026.
- Operation Sasamaki team uproots more than 7,000 plants believed to be marijuana in Natewa. fijivillage, 26 March 2026.
Open questions the AI reported
- Whether the plants were destroyed or only sampled: the reports say they were seized and would be analysed, and do not say the site was cleared. The fijivillage headline says 'uproots' while its text says 'seized'.
- Police described the plants as 'believed to be marijuana'; no test result, weight, street value or area under cultivation was reported.
- No suspect, farm owner or cultivator was named, and no charges were reported.
- The Fiji Sun follow-up of 17 June 2026 says the raid happened 'earlier this week'; the 25 and 26 March reports date it to the morning of 25 March 2026, which this report uses.
- Coordinates are for the Vusasivo settlement area; the Qaranibali farming area itself is not mapped, so the exact site is unknown.