39 kg of cocaine swapped for flour inside a courthouse, probe launched into evidence tampering

About 39 kilograms of cocaine, with an estimated value of up to $31 million, was replaced with flour in a Fiji courthouse. The discovery has prompted a police investigation into the manipulation and destruction of evidence, with authorities examining the role of the people responsible for its safekeeping.

The case concerns cocaine seized as evidence in the court proceedings against Fijian-Canadian Joshua Aziz Rahman. The drugs were held at the High Court in Suva, Fiji’s capital.

According to ABC, 32 kilograms of cocaine stored in the court as evidence had been swapped for flour, while another seven kilograms were found missing earlier. In total, 39 kilograms of cocaine are tied to this case.

The case came to light on September 15, during an inspection of the room where the evidence was stored. Authorities found that seven of the 39 cocaine bricks, registered as material evidence, were missing. Forensic examinations then showed the remaining evidence had also been tampered with.

Fiji police said that “all the evidence had been tampered with”, while the investigation is focusing on the people with direct responsibility for managing evidence at the Supreme Court archive.

Authorities have also said that a person of interest to the investigation is outside the country and is expected to be questioned.

The drug quantity was seized in 2019 from Joshua Aziz Rahman’s home in the Kawbati area. According to the case files, it was about 39.5 kilograms of cocaine, with an estimated value of around $31 million.

Rahman was sentenced in 2021 to 23 years in prison, with a minimum term of 14 years. His sentence was upheld on appeal.

Fiji’s Justice Minister and Deputy Attorney General, Siromi Turaga, called the case particularly serious, stressing that the management and security of court evidence is an institutional responsibility.

Turaga said an independent investigation is being conducted by the police’s Criminal Investigation Service, adding that the executive branch will not intervene in the operational investigation.

The police investigation continues, and no charges against any person have been announced so far.