Police arrest two minors, two men in drug bust

Police arrested two minors and two men with illicit narcotics in a five-hour operation conducted in Malé on Thursday night (February 19) by the Drug Enforcement Department (DED).

Based on intelligence information suggesting that drugs were being used and sold at Henveiru Zaa, police raided the guesthouse with a search warrant and arrested a 15-year-old male and 17-year-old female with 50 grams of drugs.

Police later arrested an 18-year-old male believed to have provided the drugs to the pair of minors. He was taken into custody from the street with six rubber packets containing drugs in his possession. Police found a further 10 packets in the vicinity.

All three suspects were Maldivians with police records.

The last suspect, a 28-year-old Bangladeshi man who is believed to have been the source of the drugs, was arrested with 50 grams of drugs in his possession.

Upon searching the Bangladeshi man’s room and belongings, police discovered a further 1 kilogram and 300 grams of drugs.

Police revealed that the 17-year-old girl had previously been stopped and searched five times on suspicion of drug use. The 15-year-old boy had been taken into custody three times, stopped and searched 12 times, and penalised four times for traffic violations.

The 18-year-old man had been stopped and searched 27 times and penalised for traffic violations.