JIATF West, IRS-CI strengthen financial investigative capacity in Fiji
SUVA, Fiji – Financial Investigative Techniques Training (FIT), led by special agents from Internal Revenue Service–Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), took place in Suva, Fiji, from Aug. 31 to Sept. 4, as part of a broader effort to strengthen partner capacity while countering illicit financial activity, transnational crime, and malign influence in the Indo-Pacific region.
The training is supported by Joint Interagency Task Force West (JIATF West), U.S. Pacific Command’s executive agent for the Department of Defense counterdrug mission.
“JIATF West’s support to the Financial Investigative Techniques training in Fiji reflects our enduring mission to work alongside the U.S. Embassy, U.S. law enforcement, interagency partners, and partner nations to combat, disrupt, and dismantle drug trafficking and transnational criminal organizations,” said Cmdr. Heather Lee, JIATF West’s Oceania activity manager. “Strengthening financial-investigation capacity through training and intelligence sharing helps partners identify and target the illicit networks that enable organized crime, corruption, and other threats to regional security.”
The IRS-CI mission is to investigate potential criminal violations of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code and related financial crimes. Through the training, IRS-CI special agents shared techniques to help partners better detect and address suspicious financial activity.
“Illicit trafficking networks rely heavily on the movement of money to sustain operations, expand influence, and exploit vulnerable communities,” said Tyler Hatcher, executive director for the IRS-CI Office of Global Operations Policy and Support. “By equipping Fijian agencies with advanced financial investigative techniques, IRS-CI helps empower international partners to identify, trace, and dismantle the monetary infrastructure that fuels drug trafficking and related crimes.”
The partnership with Fiji comes as regional and international stakeholders continue to confront the challenges posed by drug trafficking and transnational organized crime in the region.
The training also builds on broader U.S.-Fiji security cooperation efforts. On Aug. 13, 2026, the United States handed over a new boat ramp and three 7-meter rigid hull inflatable boats to the Republic of Fiji Navy, strengthening a maritime partnership that includes joint shiprider patrols in Fiji’s Exclusive Economic Zone. Law enforcement training across several major subjects and operational coordination regularly take place between the two countries.
“Drug trafficking and transnational organized crime are complex threats made more challenging to combat by operating in the largest theater,” said Lee. “By advancing transparent, rules-based institutions and building partner capacity, this collaboration helps counter malign influence and reinforces the rule of law and stability across the Indo-Pacific.”
“IRS-CI special agents take great pride in providing training that can immediately improve on the ground capabilities,” said Hatcher. “Knowing that these skills help partner nations like Fiji reinforce their own drug interdiction efforts brings a deep sense of purpose to the work. It’s an opportunity to strengthen relationships, enhance collective security, and contribute to a safer international financial environment.”
By building financial-investigative capacity with partners in Oceania, JIATF West and IRS-CI continue efforts to support regional security cooperation and strengthen institutions that can detect, disrupt, and deter criminal networks in open waters and across borders.
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