Major drug channels remain in operation: Customs Commissioner General

Commissioner General of Maldives Customs Mohamed Aswan has said that the major channels for drugs coming into Maldives remain open and in operation, and serious action needs to be taken to combat this problem.

Speaking to Sun Online about Maldives Customs’ role in stopping drugs from entering Maldives, Aswan said that despite Police posts having been established in small islands, the lack of Police presence in Thilafushi, which holds several factories and workers, poses a serious threat.

“We need Police to maintain law and order there. How can Customs officers alone handle the internal issues there? We have brought this to the attention of the government,” he said.

He said that following discussions between the relevant authorities, Maldives Customs’ efforts to establish Police presence in Thilafushi have been successful.

He also said that efforts are under way to standardize the ports of Thilafushi in cooperation with the President’s Office, Transport Ministry, Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) and the Police.

Aswan informed that as part of the efforts to prevent drugs, vessels are checked in cooperation with Police and MNDF before they enter Maldives, when they are 12 miles outside of Maldives.

He stressed the importance of using sniffer dogs to fight the drug problem, and said that due to the lack of sniffer dogs, it is currently not possible to check bags containing refined stone and sand that enter Thilafushi, for drugs.

Police have informed that Home Ministry had requested for Indian government’s assistance in bringing in sniffer dogs to Maldives.

Aswan said that the real drug problem cannot be addressed by catching drug users; rather, attention must be paid to arresting drug traffickers.

He said that investigations must be conducted into how they obtain the finances to purchase drugs, for which it is necessary to cooperate with Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA) and other banks in the country.

He noted that the Maldives Customs has personnel who have obtained trainings abroad; however, it lacks the budget, equipment, communication services and transport services necessary to run large-scale drug prevention operations.

He said that the Customs Intelligence also needs to be strengthened.