CANBERRA, ACT, May 20 -- Australian Federal Police issued the following media release:
Editor's note: An image and recording of today's press conference from the summit is available via Hightail.
Fiji Police Force and the AFP have today launched a Pacific Transnational Crime Summit in Fiji to combat the growing threat of illicit drugs, as a new International Joint Investigations Team will be set up in Colombia to target traffickers.
Fiji Police Commissioner Rusiate Tudravu, AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett and Pacific Island Chiefs of Police will progress new strategies and tactics to identify and target organised criminals trafficking illicit drugs to, and through the Pacific.
The Pacific-focused summit, which runs from 18-21 May, 2026, will draw upon the experience of law enforcement officers across the Pacific, Five Eyes Law Enforcement Group representatives and international agencies.
It comes as 17 tonnes of illicit drugs, mostly cocaine, has been seized by local and international law enforcement in the Pacific region since January. That is equivalent to about three tonnes of illicit drugs seized every month since the start of this year.
For the entire year in 2025, the total seizure of illicit commodities in the Pacific region was about 4.6 tonnes.
The summit will hear a call for action from Pacific Island Chiefs of Police, who are seeking a local response to a global problem.
Law enforcement and illicit drug experts from around the world will provide their insights and experience on how to counter cartels and other syndicates.
Speakers include representatives from Europe's Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre (Narcotics); INTERPOL, the French Navy, Colombian Navy, US Homeland Security Investigations, the Royal Thai Police, Pacific law enforcement and the AFP.
More than 14 police leaders from Tonga, Mexico, Colombia, Papua New Guinea, French Polynesia, New Zealand, Vanuatu, Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Solomon Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Niue, Republic of Marshall Islands, Tokelau, New Caledonia and Tuvalu will come to listen and present to panel discussions.
The AFP and New Zealand Police, Australian Border Force and New Zealand Customs will also announce the funding of an International Joint Investigations Team partnering with the Colombian National Police to help stop illicit drug shipments coming to the region.
Commissioner Barrett said the summit was needed to target the cartels and transnational serious organised crime organisations that have directed tonnes of illicit drugs to, and through, the Pacific.
"Australia's insatiable appetite for illegal drugs, and the high price the Australian public pays to consume these really dangerous substances, is putting significant pressure on our Pacific family,'' Commissioner Barrett said.
"While most of these drugs are still trafficked to Australia, we are now seeing instances of organised crime sending illicit commodities directly to the Pacific to find another market.
"The intent of the conference is to strengthen ties with law enforcement partners and to share information about the strategic challenges and find tangible solutions to threats.
"The best solutions for the Pacific come from Pacific leaders and we will work together to keep our region safe."
Fiji Police Force Commissioner Tudravu said the summit reflected the Pacific's call for action in tackling transnational crime as a region.
'The way forward is genuine collaboration, that is realistic and achievable for Pacific law enforcement. We have our obvious challenges, and the summit is an opportunity to strengthen regional collaboration and address challenges collectively,' Commissioner Tudravu said
"The Pacific is fighting back. The strategies must therefore be Pacific-led, supported by enhanced coordination between national and regional institutions, focusing on harm and supply reduction, as the impacts of the transnational organised crime are multi-dimensional requiring holistic regional responses."
Pacific Police expect to announce a number of initiatives following the conclusion of the summit including a Pacific-wide campaign asking Pacific Islanders to send suspicious sightings of maritime vessels in their waters to law enforcement for intelligence gathering.
Disclaimer: Curated by HT Syndication.
