SUVA, June 23 (Xinhua) -- A total of 1,223 drug cases have been recorded by police in Fiji in 2019, said Fijian police chief on Tuesday.

According to Fiji Broadcasting Corporation (FBC), Fijian Police Commissioner Sitiveni Qiliho said on Tuesday that this is an increase of 16 percent compared to 1,058 drug raids in 2018.

Police are confident that they have collected enough intel to functionally disrupt drug operations in Fiji, he said, adding that this was reflected in the increase in the number of drug related arrests in recent months.

He said that the police force was concerned with the increase in alleged possession of green drugs or marijuana and hard drugs such as cocaine and methamphetamine.

Qiliho added that they will continue to gather additional information which adds on to what the force has gathered in the last three years and they are confident of disrupting this illegal trade in the island nation.

According to the police chief, they have set up teams in all divisions around the country specifically coordinating drug activities.

Qiliho said earlier that the impact of hard drugs to a small island nation like Fiji is devastating.

"The impacts of this on a small country like ours will be very devastating, productive people made unproductive, the strain on the health system, the strain on the economy will be huge."

The most commonly abused substances in Fiji are marijuana, methamphetamine, cigarettes, kava and alcohol. In 2018, the Fijian police seized drugs worth over 94 million U.S. dollars in the island nation. Enditem

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