Fiji sentences drug lord to toughest-ever sentence after largest drug bust

By Saadet Gokce

ISTANBUL (AA) – Fiji on Thursday imposed the country’s toughest-ever sentences after authorities seized a record 4.1 tons of methamphetamine last year.

The ringleader, Justin Steven Masih Ho, was sentenced to life in prison by the High Court in Lautoka, with a non-parole period of 30 years, for smuggling drugs from Australia, according to the Fijian Broadcasting Corporation (FBC).

Other offenders received prison terms ranging from 15 to 55 years after Judge Aruna Aluthge found them guilty of multiple drug-related charges last month.

The methamphetamine haul had an estimated value of 2 billion Fiji dollars (approximately $884 million), making it the largest drug seizure in the country’s history.

Separately, New Zealand customs officials said they intercepted the country’s biggest-ever haul of gamma butyrolactone (GBL), also known as liquid ecstasy, valued at $14 million.

Authorities seized 1,950 liters of the drug during Operation Hermes, which concluded this week after a six-month investigation, Radio New Zealand (RNZ) reported.

The Oceania region has the world’s highest annual prevalence rate of cocaine use, according to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime. Australia and New Zealand also report the highest rates of ecstasy use globally, the agency said.