Customs nab MVR 26 mil worth drugs smuggled to Maldives

Maldives Customs Service have confiscated 18 kilograms of narcotic substances being trafficked into the country.

The Minister of Home Affairs, Ali Ihusan while confirming this bust in a post on X said that the street value of the confiscated substances is around MVR 26 million. In his post, the minister thanked the efforts of Customs employees in monitoring the Maldives’ borders and eliminating the incursion of contraband.

“The law is now catching up to the perpetrators involved in drug trafficking and peddling,” the minister added in his tweet.

Tuesday’s reported bust is the latest in a series of similar high-profile drug busts by the border patrol authority, including an attempt earlier in March during which Customs had nabbed 6.7 kilograms worth of narcotic substances being smuggled into the Maldives.

Customs confirmed discovering the substances during a special operation the authority conducted in inspecting imported commodities.

A separate shipment worth MVR 59 million en-route to the Maldives were confiscated by Indian border patrol authorities in a joint operation earlier on March 5^th.

Drug peddling and trafficking remains among the most serious criminal activities that have not reduced in the number of cases reported per annum in the Maldives, while more and more locals are reportedly getting involved in various drug-related criminal activities, especially minors.

The current government has been taking extra measures in preventing the spread of drug-related crimes including stringent rehabilitative efforts aimed at addicts.