From transit hub to drug market: Criminal syndicates transform Pacific threats
The Interpreter, Lowy Institute
“Once perceived as remote and insulated, the Pacific region has become a focal point for transnational crime due to its strategic geography, porous borders, and limited enforcement capabilities. Transnational criminal syndicates have capitalised on the Pacific’s vulnerabilities and fuelled local criminal practices. Pacific criminal syndicates have evolved from loosely organised groups to sophisticated networks with transnational reach. These organisations – some of which are cloaked in legitimate businesses, making detection difficult but not impossible – exploit connections to larger criminal entities in Asia and the Americas, serving as intermediaries in the movement of illicit drugs, weapons, money and people.”
“The infiltration of Pacific security agencies by criminal organisations and the rise of insider threats is one of the most destabilising consequences of transnational and organised crime activity and reach into the Pacific. The alleged involvement of Fiji’s Counter Narcotics Bureau members in the recent drug bust represents a broader trend of corruption within enforcement and judicial systems. Syndicates use bribery, coercion, and threats to compromise officials – and sometimes their family members – ensuring protection for their operations and access to sensitive intelligence.”