Palau Senate leader’s son in Fiji court after anti-drug operation

The son of Palau Senate President Hokkons Baules has appeared in court in Fiji following a major anti-drug operation that led to several arrests in the capital, Suva.

Lagomarsino Baules, 38, appeared in the Suva Magistrates Court on Monday alongside six other accused. This was his fourth visit to court since his arrest in September 2025. Before Monday, Baules had appeared before Senior Magistrate Sufia Hamza on 27 February.

Police confirm Baules faces one count of being a prohibited immigrant and one count of unlawful possession of illicit drugs.

According to The Fiji Times, Baules’ lawyer Francin Chand from Legal Aid told the court they intend to take a “progressive approach” to the case at the next court hearing.

Baules had entered a guilty plea to a charge of being a prohibited immigrant under Fiji’s Immigration Act.

Watch the accused leave the Suva Magistrates Court last month.

It is alleged that between 3 September and 16 September 2025 in Suva, Baules failed to comply with the conditions of his visitor visa and overstayed his permit for seven days, making him unlawfully present in Fiji.

Baules appeared in court with Josua Ravula, Yu Yang Fang, Minghui Dai, Zhou Lan, Peniasi Ganilau Delai, and Ginna Choi, a citizen of the Federated States of Micronesia who had previously lived in Palau.

All seven remain in custody. The matter was adjourned.

Watch the accused leave the Suva Magistrates Court in November 2025.

This week, the court confirmed that proceedings have been delayed while it decides whether certain proceeds‑of‑crime charges should remain in the Magistrates Court or be moved to Fiji’s High Court.

Magistrate Hamza will wait for this ruling before allowing further submissions. The decision is expected next Friday.

The arrests were made during a wider anti-drug operation in Fiji that authorities say targeted methamphetamine trafficking networks.

Baules was among 10 people arrested during the operation, according to the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP).

The group was detained after police raids at several locations across Suva.

Palau Senate President Hokkons Baules says he learned about his son’s arrest in Fiji through media reports. Photo/Youtube screenshot of video by the Senate Palau National Congress

Investigators allegedly recovered more than 2.5kg of methamphetamine during the operation, local media reported.

In an earlier interview with OCCRP, Baules’ father, Hokkons Baules, said he first learned about his son’s arrest through media reports. “There is nothing I can do. He has not communicated.”

Hokkons Baules is a senior political figure in Palau and currently serves as president of the country’s Senate. He has not been accused of any wrongdoing in connection with his son's case.

According to OCCRP, Choi had earlier been blacklisted by Palauan authorities as an “undesirable alien” for alleged “associations with known drug traffickers”.

Authorities in Fiji say the arrests come as Pacific countries face growing challenges linked to drug trafficking through the region.

The Suva Magistrates Court. Photo/judiciary.gov.fj

Fiji's Police Minister Brigadier Ioane Naivalurua has previously said drug seizures in the country during the first nine months of 2025 had an estimated street value of FJ$200 million (NZ$153.27m).

Based on recent police statistics and major operations between 2022 and early 2026, the estimated value of illicit drugs seized in Fiji is FJ$3.9 billion (NZ$2.99b).

Local media also reported more than 3400 drug-related arrests during that period, with most involving people aged between 18 and 35.

The recent arrests are part of ongoing efforts by Fiji police, working with international law enforcement partners, to clamp down on methamphetamine production and trafficking in the Pacific.

The individuals mentioned in this article have appeared in court facing charges. No conviction has been made, and all individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty.