SYDNEY -- Small, sparely populated island nations in the South Pacific are becoming stepping stones for trafficking illegal drugs to the Australia and U.S., officials say, prompting an international effort to strengthen policing in the region.
Authorities in Fiji have made repeated arrests connected to methamphetamine in recent weeks, with police announcing on Oct. 1 that 12 people were apprehended for drug possession within a 48-hour period. Police there have seized 3.5 tonnes of methamphetamine this year. HIV infections are increasing due to the sharing of needles used for injecting the drug.
