Thirty-three people were arrested during a special joint drug operation between the Fiji Police Force and Fiji Revenue and Customs Service (FRCS) in the Northern Division.[1] Chief of Operations ACP Livai Driu said the joint operation began on 19 August 2023 and included officers from the Fiji Detector Dog Unit and Narcotics Bureau to assist police in the north.[2] ACP Driu said the focus was to target suppliers, and a number of arrests and seizures involved drugs intended for sale.[1] He said the deployment and strategy change responded to a rise in possession cases during the preceding month.[1]

Police estimated the street value of the seized marijuana at more than FJ$1.7 million.[1] Team members seized marijuana packed and ready for sale.[1] On the morning of 12 September 2023, officers raided a kava bar and seized several small plastic bags of dried leaves believed to be marijuana hidden inside a mattress.[1]

Officers also seized more than 33 grams of white drugs, which ACP Driu described as signifying a shift in crime trends.[1] He said methamphetamine was seized in Labasa, Savusavu and Nabouwalu, and police were focusing on those supplying within or to the division.[1] The joint team also conducted border, sea, farm, long-range and red-spot patrols and community awareness activities.[1]