Information on deportations and drugs in Tonga

A drug raid in Tonga this month has drawn attention to the Pacific's cross-border criminal links, just as the island nation is hosting regional leaders for annual talks, with cross-border crime likely to be high on the agenda.

In two police raids at several locations in Tongatapu, 6.1 kilograms of methamphetamine, cash and money counting machines were seized and 17 people were arrested – including a man deported from Australia who was said to have links to the Commancheros motorcycle gang.

Deportations for criminal activity are a controversial issue at a regional level and are blamed for the spread of criminality in the deportation states. The Comancheros based in Australia have already experienced members being deported from Australia to New Zealand when they are involved in cross-border crime.

Since 1998, 1,010 people have been deported overseas, most of them since 2010. Most come from the USA, but New Zealand and Australia are also important deportation countries. Most have only spent a small part of their lives in Tonga, but retain their citizenship.

It is a common refrain in Tonga that deportees are taught how to become criminals in the countries where they grew up and where “the social problems really originate”.

This complicates regional relations as Australia, New Zealand and the United States are not only deportation states but also seek to be the most important security and development partners in the Pacific.

In this latest case, the accused, 43-year-old Eneasi Taumoefolau, is said to have not lived in Tonga since his family moved to Australia when he was seven or eight years old. He was deported from Australia in October 2022, shortly after borders reopened following the Covid-19 pandemic.

Although an influx of deportations was expected at this time, reintegration support was limited. Dare to Dream – a local NGO that specifically supports deportees – had to hire vehicles to meet new arrivals at the airport. This was a crucial first step in helping people get on the right track. But the slow flow of information and difficulties in finding rental cars meant that the group was only able to pick up six of the 21 arrivals between the border reopening and February 2023. Government funding for a vehicle in July 2024 will ease this pressure, but is only part of the reintegration challenge.

The lack of support for countries like Tonga is largely blamed on the deportation states. This complicates regional relations, as Australia, New Zealand and the US are not only deportation states but also want to be the key security and development partners in the Pacific. However, diplomats often refuse to fund reintegration organizations for deportees, making them financially unsustainable.

The experience in Samoa offers a valuable lesson. The quasi-governmental Samoa Returnees Charitable Trust has been receiving government funding for its work since 2020, and the recidivism rate of its members (deportees) is very low. The cost of prosecution is therefore significantly reduced due to the early investment in social support.

Rather, a lack of support and other factors increase the risk of reoffending.

In Tonga, deportees often turn to drugs and alcohol to self-medicate. There are limited mental health services in Tonga, where drug-related disorders account for 40% of mental hospital admissions and Salvation Army rehabilitation efforts are weak. Unfortunately, with no other employment options, some deportees become involved in the domestic drug trade and “return to what they know”. The vast majority of reoffending among returned deportees is due to small-scale drug dealing.

Other relapses included a manslaughter in 2015, as well as other cases of assault, burglary and fraud – all domestic crimes. While law enforcement circles have long been concerned about the risk of deportees engaged in cross-border criminal activity, although this is the first named arrest of a deportee who has engaged in cross-border criminal activity after returning to the Pacific. Subsequent escalation into cross-border crime was likely, but alternative support networks and employment opportunities would have reduced this risk of re-offending.

In the most recent case, only one person was deported out of 17 arrests. Civil society groups refer to new arrivals as “vultures” – “they sit out there and watch. If we are slow, they break the person and recruit them into their criminal ring. Then they start doing all kinds of things… so it's like a competition between us and the criminals.” It is alleged that the drug importation in this case was arranged by a person already in Tonga's prison system.

Equally unsurprisingly, those arrested included both a local customs officer and a prison officer. Tonga has a long history of state-based actors facilitating cross-border criminal activity. This was most notable in February, when a senior Tongan bank official was found with almost 10 kilograms of methamphetamine in his office at the Reserve Bank and a further 5 kilograms at home. These are Tongans (who have not been deported but have certain status) who have a history of criminal activity and bribery.

Tonga definitely has a drug problem and the solution should be multi-faceted. There must be sustained support for the reintegration of deported people to reduce the risk of reoffending. There must also be a fight against local corruption, which facilitates the illegal drug trade.

Both require more than just policing. It requires a whole-of-government and civil society response, not only for the good of Tongan society, but also for the good of the people being deported.