Islands in the Pacific Ocean are in danger of becoming a base for a criminal gang

Pacific island nations are at risk of becoming a base for global criminal gangs, a report from the United Nations drug authority said on Friday. This statement comes at a time when criminal activity is increasing in the isolated and economically vulnerable region.

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

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

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

“There are growing concerns that parts of the region could become major hubs and strongholds targeted by criminal groups engaged in a range of illegal activities.”

Isolation and vulnerability

Spread across thousands of kilometers of ocean, the Pacific islands and territories are particularly vulnerable due to their isolation and economic fragility, as well as high levels of corruption and limited state capacity, the report said.

Many Pacific islands have historically relied on foreign countries like Australia to help with policing, an issue that has become geopolitically charged since China sent police to the Solomon Islands in 2022. The country also has agents in Kiribati.

Australia said earlier this year that China should have no role in policing the region and pledged US$400 million ($270 million) to train and deploy police in the region.

Their ally the United States, which is 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 input from Reuters)