Nuku’alofa – Tonga’s Prime Minister, Lord Fatafehi Fakafanua, has revealed that Pacific Island leaders are strengthening regional cooperation to combat the growing spread of illicit drugs across the Pacific.
Speaking at a press briefing yesterday, Lord Fakafanua said leaders across the region have agreed to work together “as a team” to confront drug trafficking, which he described as an escalating threat to Pacific communities.
“The Pacific can no longer face this challenge in isolation. We have undertaken to stand together and coordinate our efforts to stop the flow of illicit drugs through our ocean,” he said in Tongan.
Regional concern over drug trafficking
The Prime Minister’s comments reflect mounting concern among Pacific nations about the increasing use of regional waters as transit routes for international drug syndicates.
However, Fakafanua said the Pacific is no longer merely a transit route for the global drug trade, but is increasingly being used as a hub, with international syndicates turning the world’s largest ocean into a ground zero for storage and transhipment.
His comments come amid reports that cartels are exploiting Fiji’s vast maritime borders to channel large quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine into Australia and New Zealand, while countries such as Tonga and Samoa continue to grapple with the growing impact of illicit drugs.
Authorities across several island countries have reported rising drug seizures and organised criminal activity, prompting calls for greater cooperation in surveillance, intelligence sharing, and law enforcement.
U.S. strike highlights global dimension
The Prime Minister’s remarks come as the issue of drug trafficking gained further international attention following reports from the United States military.
The U.S. Southern Command said it carried out another strike on Friday targeting a vessel accused of smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean. According to the statement, three men were killed in the incident, marking the third such strike this week in the ongoing anti-drug campaign.
The Command said the targeted vessel was allegedly “engaged in narco-trafficking operations” and linked to a designated criminal or terrorist organisation. However, no detailed evidence was publicly released to support the claim.
Reports indicate the latest operation is part of a broader, months-long campaign targeting suspected drug trafficking boats moving through the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific waters, with the overall reported death toll now said to exceed 200.
