Two in custody for allegedly stealing green yaqona and marijuana possession

Two people are in custody after Police intercepted in Savusavu Town yesterday a significant amount of green yaqona, allegedly stolen from Taveuni.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Operations (ACP) Livai Driu says collaborative efforts between Police and the community continue to yield positive results and reflective of a society that is adamant about curbing criminal activities.

He says officers engaged in Operation Tagimoucia, upon receipt of information from the community, pursued the two men who were allegedly linked to a series of crop thefts in Taveuni.

ACP Driu says the team also seized dried leaves believed to be marijuana.

He says the special operations team on the island had been working closely with the community, and the arrests and seizures were an outcome of concerted, collaborative efforts to curb the incidents of crop thefts on the island.

ACP Driu says another positive outcome of community partnerships was the seizure of plants believed to be marijuana from several farms. He says a joint search team consisting of police and youths of Nawi Village in pursuit of another suspect linked to ongoing investigations resulted in the discovery of farms with green plants believed to be marijuana.

ACP Driu acknowledged the community support, adding the way forward was to strengthen networking amongst police and the community, as the solutions to crime lie within the communities.