New plan to tackle drug trafficking in Pacific as Australian cases soarBy foreign affairs reporter Stephen Dziedzic
Posted Wed 2 Sep 2026 at 5:52amWed 2 Sep 2026 at 5:52amWed 2 Sep 2026 at 5:52am
In short:
Australia is expected to spend $600 million on a new scheme to tackle drug smuggling in the Pacific.
More than 17 tonnes of illicit cocaine and methamphetamine have been seized so far in Australia this year.
What’s next?
As part of the scheme, surveillance of the Pacific Ocean will be bolstered, helping authorities to intercept smuggling vessels and so-called narco subs.
The federal government is expected to tip $600 million into a new Pacific scheme designed to tackle the surge of drug smuggling into the region, including into Australia.
It comes as leaders grapple with increasingly sophisticated and determined criminal cartels trafficking cocaine and methamphetamines into the country.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is set to announce the investment at the Pacific Islands Forum in Palau today, as leaders prepare to endorse the “Waqa Moana” initiative aimed at bolstering surveillance of the vast Pacific Ocean, helping authorities to intercept smuggling vessels and so-called narco subs.
The new funding package — which will be spread over several years — will see Australia spend more on aerial surveillance across the Pacific, as well as additional training and support for police in the region.
The new plan is also designed to help police across the Pacific region improve coordination to tackle the trade, while also bolstering Australian Federal Police cooperation with South and Central American countries in an attempt to target the source of the illegal drugs.
Drug smuggling in Pacific fuelled by Australian demand for illicit drugs
Australian and Pacific authorities have become increasingly concerned by the way the drug trade has contributed to social breakdown and police corruption in parts of the region, as well as its contribution to serious health problems like the HIV crisis in Fiji.
The government is also conscious that the drug smuggling trade ravaging some Pacific communities is being fed by Australia’s appetites for illegal drugs, with smugglers keen to reach the lucrative markets of major cities like Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne.
Mr Albanese said the Pacific was Australia’s “home and family”.
“That’s why it’s in Australia’s interests to work with our Pacific partners to combat organised crime,” he said.
“For the good of every country in the region, including our own — we need to work together to stamp out the illicit drug trade.“
Earlier this year, Australian Federal Police declared the surge in drug smuggling a serious national security threat to both Australia and the region, with more than 17 tonnes of illicit cocaine and methamphetamine seized so far this year.
That is up from 5.5 tonnes in 2025.
Drug smuggling to be on agenda at Pacific Islands Forum
The announcement comes as Pacific leaders prepare for their major meetings at the Pacific Islands Forum in Palau, with the plenary session today and a private retreat on Thursday.
The early stages of the gathering were disrupted by another diplomatic stoush between China and Taiwan, which Palau has given a more prominent role at this year’s meeting, as one of its three remaining Pacific allies.
China’s envoy to the Pacific, Qian Bo, threatened that including Taiwan would have “consequences”, while Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said the “Taiwan authorities will only end up bringing humiliation upon themselves”.
But Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Lin Chia-Lung issued a sharp response on Tuesday, saying that China was trying to “squeeze our international space and coerce our allies”.
He also compared China to a guest at a party who acts like a host and creates an unpleasant atmosphere for everyone.
“We should not make compromises because of China’s bullying,” he said.