Pacific Must Not Become a Destination for Illicit Drugs, says Commissioner Tudravu

“We must work together to ensure the Pacific is not the destination for illicit drugs.”

This was the plea made by Commissioner of Police Rusiate Tudravu while referring to a UNODC report highlighting the threats of transnational crimes for the Pacific region. He made the remarks during the closing of the week-long New Zealand Police and New Zealand Customs-supported Pacific Detector Dog Programme (PDDP) in Nadi on Thursday, 12 June 2025.

Regional countries part of the PDDP include Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Cook Islands, and Papua New Guinea. Officials from the Australian Border Force also attended the meeting.

The PDDP is a regional collaborative initiative funded by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and managed by the New Zealand Police with support from the New Zealand Customs Service.

The Fiji Detector Dog Unit (FDDU) is a partnership between the Fiji Police Force and the Fiji Revenue and Customs Service (FRCS), working together to enhance the operational effectiveness of border enforcement and detection capabilities.

“The Pacific has long been known as the transit region, but now we are being classified as the destination, and we must not allow this to become too problematic to a point that law enforcement is overwhelmed,” Commissioner Tudravu said.

“Fiji has always been supportive of the PDDP because we recognise that we cannot fight this alone. Collective urgency for action in addressing security threats is needed through various means, and the PDDP has proven to be a success story.”

The PDDP assists member countries with the training of dog handlers, provides highly trained detector dogs, and builds capacity in leadership, operational systems, legal enforcement, and prosecution related to the detection of illicit substances, particularly narcotics.