Police launches second drug operation at M. Lovenest, initially searched unlawfully

Police have launched a second drug operation at Lovenest, a house situated at Maafannu district in Male’ City – where 42 kilos of heroin were found hidden under a false flooring on March 25, in a two-day operation by Drug Enforcement and Counter-Narcotics Intelligence.

The second operation has commenced at a time two suspects arrested after first one has been released from custody, as the Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO) decided against pursuing charges against them.

A Police Spokesperson confirmed to Sun that a second drug operation was underway at M. Lovenest; however, stressed the details will only be disclosed later.

The identities of the suspects arrested back then were;

• Ahmed Hussain, 39, Dhafthar no. 3840
• Abdulla Nasheed, 46, Nooruh, K. Male’

Announcing the decision not to pursue charges in the case, PGO’s spokesperson Ahmed Shafeeu said the police, despite having sufficient time and opportunity to file for a search warrant for Lovenest, had searched the property without a warrant.

Shafeeu also said that despite the identity of the owner of the property being known to police, they had searched the property after gaining permission from another person, meaning that the search of the property where the drugs were found was conducted in violation of Article 47 (b) of the Constitution, and Article 149 of Drugs Act.

Shafeeu said there were multiple issues that cast doubt over what took place at the scene of the crime, including lack of paperwork to prove some of the items at the scene that could have been used as evidence were analyzed.

Vilimale’ MP Ahmed Usham has previously expressed his intention to submit the case to Parliament’s Security Services Committee (241 Committee) for review.