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Fiji police have detained a Mexican woman after she was found with a large amount of powdery white substance believed to be cocaine intended for delivery to New Zealand or Australia.
The interception coincides with Australian investigations into a Colombian scheme for sending drugs through the Pacific Islands and New Zealand.
Fiji police spokesman Corporal Suliano Tevita confirmed that more than 100 blocks of the substance were found in the woman's luggage, fijilive.com reported.
He said police officers in Nadi received an anonymous tip-off saying the woman, who was staying at a Nadi hotel, was carrying illicit drugs.
Mr Tevita said the woman arrived into the country on Tuesday and had a four-month tourist visa.
Local forensic experts have examined the substance and will be sending samples overseas for further analysis to confirm it is cocaine.
Mr Tevita said Fiji police were concerned that the Pacific Islands were being used as a transit point for hard drugs - including cocaine, heroin and amphetamines.
Another man, a Colombian, is also being questioned by police over the find.
Australian Federal Police revealed in a Melbourne court last week details of how an alleged syndicate used couriers to conceal their connections to "high-risk narcotic regions" such as South America.
Couriers linked to Colombia met colleagues in the Pacific region who collected the drugs and then returned to Australia without suspicious travel records.
- NZPA
