The drug problem in the South Pacific island countries is becoming more and more serious. These sparsely populated areas are gradually becoming transit points for drug trafficking, which has attracted widespread attention from the international community. In response to this problem, the United States, Japan and Australia have recently stepped up police and maritime law enforcement assistance to these island countries, hoping to curb the flow of drugs, combat organized crime, and reduce their threats to regional society and public health.

On February 15, 2016, Australian border police cracked a batch of methamphetamine smuggling cases with a total value of more than 712 million US dollars, which was one of the largest drug seizures in Australian history. This incident is just the beginning. It marks that the South Pacific is becoming a "golden channel" for drug trafficking. The United Nations and law enforcement officials of many countries said that the vast waters and weak monitoring capabilities of the South Pacific island countries provide convenient routes for drug traffickers, making these countries an important node in the drug trading network.

Recently, drug cases in Fiji have shown a significant upward trend. In early October this year, Fijian police arrested 12 suspects carrying methamphetamine within 48 hours. This year, the country has seized 3.5 tons of methamphetamine. The drug epidemic has not only brought social problems, but also exacerbated the public health crisis. Due to the sharing of needles among drug users, the HIV infection rate in Fiji is also rising.

Not only Fiji, but also South Pacific island countries such as Tonga are facing drug problems. Tonga, with a population of only 110,000, has been listed as a "drug epidemic" region by the Global Organized Crime Index due to drug problems. Officials pointed out that drugs are mainly transported to South Pacific island countries by ships from Latin America, and then distributed to Australia and New Zealand. Some drugs are even smuggled from the region to the United States.

US State Department Deputy Secretary of State Campbell pointed out that some criminal groups from China and Southeast Asia are using the South Pacific as a drug trafficking route to transport drugs from the region to Latin America and the United States. The vast sea areas and weak maritime law enforcement capabilities of the South Pacific island countries make it easier for drug traffickers to exploit these areas. Although Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Tonga have navies, other island countries have almost no full-time maritime law enforcement forces. Usually, the police perform coast guard tasks concurrently, and the law enforcement capabilities are very limited.

The drug epidemic has not only put Pacific island countries under severe social and health pressure, but also brought about a sharp increase in drug addiction. Island countries with scarce medical resources and professional medical staff have therefore borne a greater burden. Take Fiji as an example. In July this year, local law enforcement officers intercepted a batch of equipment used to make drugs, preventing potential illegal drug manufacturing activities, but the occurrence of such incidents has made people worry that the country may become a drug manufacturing center.

In order to assist these island countries in strengthening their law enforcement capabilities, Australia launched the Pacific Policing Initiative in August. The program aims to help island countries develop their law enforcement capabilities through the establishment of four police training centers through cooperation, and invest 400 million Australian dollars (about 262 million US dollars) in the next five years. In addition, the United States is also stepping up its involvement. In September, it launched a maritime law enforcement cooperation program aimed at providing training and technical support for combating illegal maritime activities, and signed shipboard agreements with Papua New Guinea and other countries, allowing partner country personnel to board US patrol ships and enforce the law in their respective exclusive economic zones.

Japan has also strengthened its support for South Pacific island countries. In July, the Japanese Coast Guard sent a delegation to Fiji to support the coast guards of several countries in the region, and pledged to provide patrol boats to Fiji through Tokyo's official security assistance program to strengthen Fiji's maritime law enforcement capabilities.

Looking ahead, the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD) member countries will conduct joint coast guard operations in the Indo-Pacific for the first time. The U.S. Coast Guard ships will carry law enforcement officers from Japan, Australia and India to patrol together to strengthen the countries' ability to coordinate in combating illegal maritime activities. This innovative model of multilateral cooperation not only shows the further deepening of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue in responding to regional security threats, but also sends a strong signal that the international community is working together to curb the spread of drug trafficking in the South Pacific.

In short, the drug problem in the South Pacific island countries is becoming increasingly rampant and has become an important link in the global drug smuggling chain, which has promoted the coordinated assistance of the United States, Japan, Australia and other countries. Faced with the social, economic and health threats posed by drugs, many countries are assisting the South Pacific island countries to improve their response capabilities and ensure regional peace and security through police training, equipment assistance and multilateral joint maritime law enforcement.