Calls have been made for a more stringent approach towards individuals involved in the trade of illicit drugs and those possessing unexplained wealth.

Minister for Justice Siromi Turaga says there has been less work in this area as, currently, more young people are being arrested for managing small amounts of drugs.

He says that the focus needs to shift to larger players in the drug trade and those who accumulate wealth through illegal means.

Minister for Justice Siromi Turaga

The Justice Minister stressed the importance of comprehensive investigations and legal actions to dismantle the networks behind the drug trade.

“We want to see big people—people involved in trade—with unexplained wealth, so they need to be held accountable and taken to court. That’s what people right now want to see, because you go around the neighbourhood and tell them this person is involved, but there is less work. What we see is young people being arrested here and there.”

Turaga says assets and proceeds of crime need to be looked into to catch the culprits involved in the multibillion-dollar drug trade.

He adds that the Director of Public Prosecutions needs to take more cases to court in terms of the proceeds of crime. He believes that if that wealth is confiscated, then they can disrupt the drug syndicate.