New Zealand and Pacific Nations Vow to Combat Flow of Drugs Through South Pacific

New Zealand’s Prime Minister Christopher Luxon (L) and Tonga’s Prime Minister Lord Fatafehi Fakafanua attend a police and transnational crime event in Nuku’alofa in Tonga on March 18, 2026. Ben Strang/AFP via Getty ImagesNew Zealand’s Prime Minister, Christopher Luxon, has signalled stronger cooperation with Pacific nations to stem the flow of drugs in the region as he visits Samoa and Tonga.The South Pacific is the principal transit route for trafficking drugs and chemical precursors from Asia and South America to Australia and New Zealand, where consumers pay some of the highest street prices in the world.