FRCS detects $3,647 worth of smuggled alcohol and cigarettes on two foreign fishing vessels

The Fiji Revenue and Customs Service is reminding operators of foreign fishing vessels to understand and comply with the entry requirements of Fiji following the detection of smuggled alcohol and cigarette during their monitoring process.

They conducted targeted searches on two foreign fishing vessels and discovered smuggled bottles of alcohol and packets of cigarettes worth approximately $3,647 between the 12th and the 14th of this month.

FRCS says they will have zero tolerance for illegal activities detected at the Fijian borders.

They say smuggling of alcohol and cigarettes on foreign fishing vessels is a re-occurring issue and to deter smuggling, FRCS has been profiling vessels and aircrafts for restricted and prohibited goods traded to or from Fiji.

FRCS says their efforts to daunt illegal activities of foreign fishing vessels has been boosted through information received by the Fiji Navy which has helped them conduct random searches on 58 vessels from 2020.