- Tongans discovered cocaine worth more than US$1 million.
- The police said they were searching for areas of interest.
- Tonga is located on the route of drug smugglers entering Australia and New Zealand.
On Thursday, cocaine worth more than $1 million washed up on the beaches of Tonga, and police searched the nearby coast for similar illegal packages.
Residents found these drugs in the Wavau island group in the northern part of the Pacific country and handed them over to the authorities.
Read | Three men arrested in connection with 400 million rand cocaine
Acting Deputy Police Commissioner Halatoa Taufa said that the police are cooperating with the Navy to search for areas of interest after discovery.
“More packages may appear on the beach. We ask any member of the public to contact the police immediately if they find or know that someone has found more drugs,” he said.
Taufa said these packages are similar to those found in Vava’u in the past.
The wreck of the drug yacht JeReVe was found on a remote atoll in 2012, and contained cocaine chunks worth up to 120 million U.S. dollars.
In 2017, the French Navy intercepted a yacht carrying $100 million worth of cocaine near Tongan waters.
The following year, the police found cocaine worth 13 million U.S. dollars on an outlying island.
Tonga has been classified by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime as a “geographically disadvantaged” because it is located on the route of illicit drug manufacturers in Asia and South America to the main markets of Australia and New Zealand.
Do you know you can listen to the article? Subscribe to news 24 Access this exciting feature and more.
We live in a world where facts and fiction are blurred
In uncertain times, you need news that you can trust.Just for R75 per month, You can access a world of in-depth analysis, investigative news, popular opinions, and a range of features. Journalism strengthens democracy. Invest in the future today.
