SYDNEY: Detectives were sifting leads on Wednesday after a massive drug heist in Fiji, searching for dozens of cocaine parcels swiped from an evidence vault and replaced with baking flour.

Better known for stunning beaches that draw tourists in droves, the South Pacific nation has become an unlikely stopover for cartels shipping drugs from Latin America into Australia.

Police seized 39 bricks of cocaine in a 2019 raid, each weighing around one kilogram and wrapped in plastic.

An official said investigators noticed seven bricks had gone missing earlier this year.

Tests showed the cocaine once held inside the vault had been swiped under the nose of police and swapped with bundles of flour.

“Based on the discovery of the missing seven bars and the tampering of evidence, it was decided to test the remaining parcels _ which tested negative for any trace of illicit drugs,” Tudravu, the official, told reporters.

Previous tests carried out after the bricks were confiscated in 2019 confirmed they held cocaine at the time, he added.

Published in Dawn, October 1st, 2026