Pacific islands are at risk of becoming a base for criminal gangs

Pacific island nations are at risk of becoming bases for global criminal gangs, a United Nations drug agency report said Friday. This statement comes at a time when crime is on the rise in the isolated and economically vulnerable region.

The report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime said the “threat environment” in the region was increasing. It said the threat from crimes such as drug and human trafficking, illegal fishing and wildlife theft, money laundering and cybercrime is increasing faster than at any time in history.

The region is now home to drug cartels from America, illegal motorcycle gangs from Australia and New Zealand and Asian crime groups, it said.

“The thriving criminal ecosystem in the Pacific has attracted powerful transnational criminal networks from different parts of the world,” the report said.

“There are growing concerns that parts of the region could become important hubs and bases for criminal groups involved in a range of illegal activities.”

Isolation and vulnerability

Pacific island states and territories spread across thousands of kilometers (miles) of ocean are particularly at risk because of their isolation and economic vulnerability, as well as high levels of corruption and limited government capacity, it said.

Many Pacific islands have historically relied on foreign countries such as Australia to help with policing, an issue that has become geopolitically sensitive since China deployed police to the Solomon Islands in 2022. The country also has officials in Kiribati.

Australia said earlier this year that China should have no role in policing the region and has pledged 400 million Australian dollars ($270 million) to support police training and deployment in the region.

Its ally the United States, also concerned about China’s influence in the region, said in August it would work with the region to monitor drug trafficking by criminal groups in China and Southeast Asia.

(with inputs from Reuters)