Bangladesh, May 16 -- The Pacific island nation of Fiji is facing mounting pressure from international drug syndicates as authorities warn that global criminal organizations are increasingly using the country as a strategic trafficking hub. According to Fijis Defense Minister Pio Tikoduadua, South American cartels, Asian triads, and Australian gang networks are now operating inside the country, raising serious concerns about corruption, militarization, and national security.

In an interview with the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), Tikoduadua said Fijis geographic position in the Pacific has made it attractive to transnational criminal organizations seeking new trafficking routes between Latin America, Asia, Aust...