Fiji court hands down landmark life sentence in major meth case

A Fijian court has this week handed down some of the toughest drug sentences the country has ever seen after a major bust of methamphetamine in Nadi two years ago.

The main person involved in the plot to bring more than four tonnes of meth into Fiji has been sentenced to life in prison.

Fiji police say the illicit drugs were bound for Australia.

Justin Steven Masih Ho is one of nine people who received severe sentences from the High Court in Lautoka on Thursday.

The group was found guilty in July for their involvement in bringing in and distributing 4.15 tonnes of methamphetamine between late 2023 and early 2024.

According to local media reports, Justice Aruna Aluthge has sentenced Ho to life imprisonment, with a minimum term of 30 years he must serve before being eligible for parole.

Nine people have been sentenced for their role in bringing in and distributing over four tonnes of methamphetamine to Fiji. Photo/Fiji Police

The judge also sentenced David Otto Heritage to 55 years in jail with a 25-year non-parole period.

The sentences for the other accomplices ranged from 15 to 55 years in prison. They included Jale Aukerea, Louie Logaivau, Ratu Aporosa Davelevu, Sakiusa Tuva, Ratu Osea Levula, Cathy Tuirabe, and Viliame Colawaliku.

The record haul of methamphetamine, worth an estimated value of FJ$2 billion ($NZ1.51b), was seized during a police operation in January 2024 in Nadi, a popular tourist destination in Fiji.

In his ruling, Aluthge told Ho, "You provided employment opportunities to 10 Fijian youths. However, you opened the business as a cover to carry out illegal activities and exposed the youths to the drug trade, putting their lives at risk. You have breached the trust reposed in you by your employees."

Addressing Ho’s personal circumstances and mitigation plea, Aluthge says: "You are young, 34 years of age, and looking after your sickly father. Even for a most serious drug offender, his or her personal circumstances do matter.

"But I do not find any mitigating features in your personal circumstances. You have two brothers and a stepsister. They can take care of your father in your absence.”

The judge warned that "sophisticated drug cartels" were involved in the case.

He says these drug cartels, which use superyachts and advanced technology to communicate, were using Fiji as a transit point for their illegal activities.

The judge also dismissed claims from defence lawyers that the accused were forced to participate out of fear of the drug cartels.

Fiji's Police Minister Ioane Naivalurua has praised the court's ruling. Photo/The Fiji Times

Meanwhile, Fiji's Minister for Policing, Ioane Naivalurua, has welcomed the sentencing as a “defining moment” in the fight against transnational organised crime.

He says the court's decision sends a clear message: Fiji will not tolerate illicit drugs that harm its communities and future.

“No one is above the law, and no status or connection will shield anyone from justice," Naivalurua told The Fiji Times newspaper.

He also urged anyone struggling with drug addiction to seek help, saying that free treatment for HIV and other support services are available.

“Don’t wait until it’s too late. Your life matters,” he told the Times.