Police use a helicopter to conduct surveillance on drug farms

The Fiji Police Force has taken its war on drugs to the skies by getting a helicopter to search for the farms.

This follows the raid in Kadavu which resulted in the seizure of more than one tonne of marijuana.

Chief Operations Officer ACP Rusiate Tudravu says the use of a helicopter to conduct aerial surveillance is in line with the Commissioner’s intent which they are putting into action.

He says the operation on drugs was mainly confined to the traditional form of using manpower on foot to search for the farms and this took a lot of time and effort.

Tudravu and Sergeant Moape Tau conducted an aerial surveillance to confirm the number of farms based on information gathered.

Tudravu says they have sighted a few farms which their officers will be deployed to without having to search the rugged terrain for hours.

Tudravu has also questioned on why some people insist on legalising drugs when the impact is known in Fiji where innocent people have fallen victims to murder and rape because the perpetrator was high on drugs.

He says for those involved in the cultivation of marijuana, they should not try to undermine how far the Police Force is willing to go to get to them.

He adds that the Force is able to deploy resources on the ground, water and air to show that they are serious about the war on drugs.