Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 9 hours ago
Australia’s demand for methamphetamine and cocaine is reshaping Pacific communities and coastlines, turning island nations into key transit points on a global drug superhighway, and exposing them to violence, corruption and addiction.
Join us for a special panel discussion with ABC Pacific Local Journalism Network reporters Lice Movono (Fiji), Marian Kupu (Tonga) and Chrisnrita Aumanu-Leong (Solomon Islands), who are on the front lines of the crisis and played a pivotal role in Foreign Correspondent’s two-part investigation Cartel Paradise: A special investigation into the Pacific's drug superhighway.
Drawing on deep local knowledge and hard-won access, the reporters will take you behind the scenes of a complex, multi-country collaboration: from gaining access to naval and intelligence operations in Fiji, to tracking “narco subs” in Solomon Islands, to exploring how deportation policies are feeding gang culture and drug networks in Tonga.
Host: Oliver Nobetau, Acting Director, Pacific Islands Program, Lowy Institute
Special guest speakers:
Chrisnrita Aumanu-Leong, Solomon Islands correspondent
Marian Kupu, Tonga correspondent
Lice Movono, Fiji correspondent
Opening remarks: Mihai Sora, Director of Research, Lowy Institute
Australia’s demand for methamphetamine and cocaine is reshaping Pacific communities and coastlines, turning island nations into key transit points on a global drug superhighway, and exposing them to violence, corruption and addiction.
Join us for a special panel discussion with ABC Pacific Local Journalism Network reporters Lice Movono (Fiji), Marian Kupu (Tonga) and Chrisnrita Aumanu-Leong (Solomon Islands), who are on the front lines of the crisis and played a pivotal role in Foreign Correspondent’s two-part investigation Cartel Paradise: A special investigation into the Pacific's drug superhighway.
Drawing on deep local knowledge and hard-won access, the reporters will take you behind the scenes of a complex, multi-country collaboration: from gaining access to naval and intelligence operations in Fiji, to tracking “narco subs” in Solomon Islands, to exploring how deportation policies are feeding gang culture and drug networks in Tonga.
Host: Oliver Nobetau, Acting Director, Pacific Islands Program, Lowy Institute
Special guest speakers:
Chrisnrita Aumanu-Leong, Solomon Islands correspondent
Marian Kupu, Tonga correspondent
Lice Movono, Fiji correspondent
Opening remarks: Mihai Sora, Director of Research, Lowy Institute
