Tag: drug bust

Police seize drugs in Hulhumalé guesthouse

The police have seized illicit narcotics from a guesthouse in Hulhumalé and arrested four Maldivian men on suspicion of selling drugs.

Based on intelligence information, the police drug enforcement department raided the guesthouse room around 4:00pm yesterday with a search warrant and found a large rubber packet containing drugs, two empty liquor bottles, bullet-sized rubber packets, and a small measuring device.

The four men, aged 21, 25, 34, and 37, all have criminal records for drug-related offences, the police said.

 

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Police bust Maldivian drug network in Sri Lanka

Police have busted an international drug network operated by a group of Maldivians in Sri Lanka following a two-year long operation.

Police superintendent Ahmed Shifan said three Maldivians were arrested with 165 grams of heroin and a large amount of cash in a joint operation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Department (DED) and the Sri Lankan Narcotics Bureau.

Shifan, head of the DED, said the three were suspected of carrying out large-scale drug trafficking through several countries, including Pakistan, Thailand, China, and India.

The first suspect arrested in the case – a 25-year-old – had travelled to these countries with fake passports numerous times since 2012, Shifan said.

Shifan also said that a Maldivian woman was recently arrested in Sri Lanka with 100 grams of cannabis.

However, the woman has since been released because cannabis is considered a soft drug in Sri Lanka.

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Two MNDF officers and a policeman arrested in Malé drug bust

The Maldives Police Services has arrested two officers of the Maldives National Defense Forces (MNDF) and a policeman in a drug bust this morning.

Speaking to the press today, Drug Enforcement Department’s (DED) Head Superintendent Ahmed Shifan said three individuals were arrested at Avista café in Malé on suspicion of drug trafficking.

Following the arrest, the police conducted a search of Sinamalé apartment 12-03, and found 18 bullets of suspected heroin and tools to pack narcotics. A fourth man was arrested at the apartment.

The police officer arrested in the case is 28 years of age while the two MNDF officers are 24 years of age and 28 years of age.

A further two men were arrested on charges of drug trafficking in Malé this week. They were caught on the stairway of Galholu Mithuru in Malé with 27 pieces of cellophane and 23 packets thought to contain illegal drugs.

There has been a spike in the number of police officers arrested in drug busts this year.

In March, the police arrested a police sergeant in a drug bust involving 24 kg of heroin. The MVR36 million haul is the largest from a police operation in the country’s history. Four Maldivians, three Bangladeshis and 11 Pakistanis were also taken into custody.

Police later revealed that the officer had used a local money transfer service to send money to an Iranian agent.

Local media reported in August that the officer was among three Maldivian suspects released from custody after the Prosecutor General’s Office decided there was insufficient evidence for prosecution.

On November 11, a police officer and eight others were arrested on suspicion of drug trafficking from Lhaviyani Atoll Hinnavaru Island.

According to the police, 16 bullet-sized rubber packets of “a substance suspected to be drugs,” 241 bullet-sized rubber packets of heroin, and 145 packets of hash oil were seized during an operation conducted by the DED in Hinnavaru.

A police officer and two others were also arrested in a drug bust in Addu City in October.

Speaking at a conference of police division and atoll commanders on October 22, Home Minister Umar Naseer said criminal gangs in the atolls were attempting to infiltrate the police by forging personal relationships with police officers stationed in their islands.

Gangs attempt to “penetrate” police stations in order to gather information to carry out criminal activities, he said.

Naseer said complaints have been received from various islands about offenders quickly learning of a crime being reported to the police.

Information was thus “leaking” from within the police, he added.

“So some people hesitate to share information with some police stations. This is very regrettable,” he said.

Commanders in the atolls should ensure that police officers do not fraternise with known criminals or suspected drug dealers, Naseer urged.

Naseer said he had received complaints from various islands about police officers spending time with suspected drug dealers when they were off-duty.

Commanders should be aware of who their subordinate officers “go to coffees or picnics with,” he advised, which should be controlled to ensure the “credibility of the police force on that island or atoll.”

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Police officer arrested in drug bust

A police officer was among nine people arrested in a drug bust on the island of Hinnavaru in Lhaviyani atoll on Tuesday (November 11).

Briefing the press yesterday, Chief Inspector Ahmed Shifan, head of the Drug Enforcement Department (DED), revealed that all the suspects in custody were Maldivian men above 18 years of age from Hinnavaru.

“A police officer is under arrest but I cannot provide further information at the time,” he said.

The Hinnavaru magistrate court has extended the remand detention of the suspects for eight days, he said.

Shifan said 16 bullet-sized rubber packets of “a substance suspected to be drugs,” 241 bullet-sized rubber packets of heroin, and 145 packets of hash oil were seized during an operation conducted by the DED in Hinnavaru.

The DED searched 13 homes in the island and questioned a number of people, he said, noting that the operation was still ongoing in Lhaviyani atoll.

Similar operations would take place in other atolls in the coming days, the chief inspector said.

The operation involved 36 police officers and was conducted with the assistance of the Special Operations (SO) department, the investigative support department, and operational support department.

A police officer was also arrested in a 24kg drug haul in March, which police said was “the largest amount of drugs seized in a police operation conducted in the Maldives so far.”

Police later revealed that the officer had used a local money transfer service to send money to an Iranian agent.

Local media reported in August that the officer was among three Maldivian suspects released from custody after the Prosecutor General’s Office decided there was insufficient evidence for prosecution.

Gangs and police

Speaking at a conference of police division and atoll commanders on October 22, Home Minister Umar Naseer said criminal gangs in the atolls were attempting to infiltrate the police by forging personal relationships with police officers stationed in their islands.

Gangs attempt to “penetrate” police stations in order to gather information to carry out criminal activities, he said.

Naseer said complaints have been received from various islands about offenders quickly learning of a crime being reported to the police.

Information was thus “leaking” from within the police, he added.

“So some people hesitate to share information with some police stations. This is very regrettable,” he said.

Commanders in the atolls should ensure that police officers do not fraternise with known criminals or suspected drug dealers, Naseer urged.

Naseer said he had received complaints from various islands about police officers spending time with suspected drug dealers when they were off-duty.

Commanders should be aware of who their subordinate officers “go to coffees or picnics with,” he advised, which should be controlled to ensure the “credibility of the police force on that island or atoll.”

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Police seize 24kg of heroin in largest drug haul to date

The Maldives Police Service (MPS) has seized 24kg of heroin with a street value of MVR36 million (US$2.2 million) in the largest drug haul from a police operation in the country’s history.

At a press briefing today, Superintendent Mohamed Rasheed, head of the Drug Enforcement Department (DED), revealed that the drugs were seized in a special operation conducted from March 4 to 10.

“I note at this opportunity that the 24kg of drugs was the largest amount of drugs seized in a police operation conducted in the Maldives so far,” Rasheed said.

The drugs were allegedly transported in a vessel named ‘Hormooz’ registered in Iran, Rasheed said, noting that the boat had visited the Maldives in the past ostensibly to purchase fish.

The boat had been put under police surveillance based on intelligence information suggesting that it was being used to smuggle drugs, he said, adding that a crew member had previously been arrested with drugs in his possession.

Four Maldivians, three Bangladeshis and 11 Pakistanis were taken into custody on March 10, Rasheed revealed, declining to disclose their identities at the current stage of the investigation.

The 11 Pakistani nationals were the crew and captain of the Iranian boat, he added.

The four Maldivians and three Bangladeshis met the boat 30 nautical miles off the coast of Alif Alif Mathiveri in a dhoni (traditional boat) to collect the drugs, he explained.

The drugs were then concealed under fibre boards in a dinghy, Rasheed continued.

Two of the suspects were seized by police after arriving on the dinghy in Hulhumale while their dhoni waited in the harbour.

The Iranian vessel was meanwhile captured at sea with coastguard assistance between Alif Alif and Baa atolls, Rasheed said.

Asked by reporters whether a police sergeant and a Maldivian man – Abdulla Shaffath – arrested in connection with the Artur brothers’ case last year were among the 18 suspects, Rasheed said he could not disclose details at present as it could hamper the investigation.

Rasheed however confirmed that a police officer had been arrested in connection with the drug haul while two of the Maldivian suspects had prior records for drug-related offences.

The Criminal Court has extended the pre-trial detention period  of the 18 suspects by 10 days, he said.

While the street value of the drugs was estimated to be MVR36 million (US$2.2 million), Superintendent Rasheed noted that the drugs would likely be laced with “other powders” to increase its volume “two or threefold” before being sold.

The additional volume could potentially raise its street value to almost MVR100 million (US$6.5 million), he said.

Concluding the press briefing, Rasheed appealed to local fishermen to report sightings of foreign vessels unloading suspicious cargo at sea to the police or the coasstguard.

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Police discover kingsnake, tarantula in drug bust

Police arrested a Maldivian couple on Thursday night with drugs, a snake and a Mexican red-kneed tarantula from Henveiru Lucky Shade house in Male’.

Police raided the residence with a search warrant at about 11:15pm and found the drugs and pets in the couple’s room.

The albino banded California kingsnake was kept illegally as a pet, police said.

The couple – a 28-year-old man and 27-year-old woman – were taken into custody with a film canister containing illicit narcotics and a counterfeit US$100 note.

Police also revealed that the male suspect had a criminal record for drug-related offences.

The California kingsnake is not the first exotic animal discovered in a recent drug bust. Last week, police found a 4-feet long snake during a drug operation on the island of Himmafushi in Kaafu atoll.

The snake was reportedly a royal python – a non-venomous African species often kept as pets.

In a drug bust in the capital Male’ last January, police discovered a caged slow loris. The importation and sale of the endangered primate species is illegal in the country.

In November last year, police arrested three men from a residence in Male’ with 15 bottles of Finlandia vodka, 24 cans of beer and three snakes.

A police media official told Minivan News at the time that two of the snakes were of a dangerous species and were listed as contraband.

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Police seize drugs worth over MVR70,000

Police have arrested a 19-year-old man from the island of Thinadhoo in Gaaf Dhaalu atoll with 271 cellophane packets containing illicit narcotics.

According to police media, the street value of the drugs is estimated to be in excess of MVR70,000 (US$4,540).

The suspect was taken into custody around 10:00am this morning by the Thinadhoo police station following intelligence information indicating that he was peddling drugs.

The drugs were found in the suspect’s room, which was raided by police with a search warrant.

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Police raid Masodige, arrest 18 in drug bust

Sixteen men and two women were arrested yesterday in a drug bust with over MVR100,00 (US$6,485) in cash and 31 rubber packets containing illicit narcotics.

Police raided Galolhu Masodige with a search warrant around 9:00am based on intelligence information suggesting that drugs were being sold from the house. The special operation was conducted jointly by the drug enforcement department (DED) and police intelligence.

According to the DED officer in charge of the operation, equipment used to pack drugs was also confiscated from Masodige.

Of the 18 suspects taken into custody, police said a 22-year-old man and 50-year-old woman were actively involved in drug trafficking.

The male suspect had a criminal record for drug trafficking and gang violence, police revealed.

The other 16 suspects – aged between 22 and 58 – were believed to have been in the house to purchase drugs at the time of the raid.

A 26-year-old woman among the suspects had been convicted on multiple charges of theft in 2010 and 2011, police said.

Police claimed the 16 suspects were under the influence of drugs at the time of their arrest and that all 16 had criminal records for drug-related offences.

The Criminal Court meanwhile granted a seven-day extension of detention for all 18 suspects when they were brought before a judge at 7:00pm last night. The case is currently under investigation by the DED.

On January 20, police arrested eight Maldivians with illegal narcotics and more than MVR140,000 (US$9,000) and US$11,000 in cash from a residence in Malé.

In an interview with Minivan News in January, Home Minister Umar Naseer said that the main target of his ministry for the next five years would be curbing drug-related crimes.

Naseer said that he intended to give a high priority to enhancing the customs services in order to stop illegal drugs and other contraband from being smuggled in to the country. He also said that the police intelligence department was being expanded.

“Leaving aside abusers and peddlers, the focus of this front will be on major wholesale drug dealers. We will investigate how drugs are brought into the country, find the contacts abroad, find ways to locate and take action against those involved even if they are abroad,” he said.

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Police arrest five in Addu City drug bust

Police arrested five people from the Hithadhoo ward of Addu City on Thursday with illicit narcotics and MVR231,845 (US$15,035) in cash.

The suspects taken into custody from the Dhunakulhi and Divine Test houses included two minors aged 17 and three men aged 23, 26 and 32.

Police searched the houses with a court warrant and found the drugs in 17 rubber packets and two larger packets. Police also found a number of packets used for packing drugs.

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