Tag: Drugs

Police Commissioner urges customs to stop import of illegal animals

Police Commissioner Hussain Waheed has told customs that police are spending as much time confiscating illegal animals as they are seizing drugs.

Waheed yesterday (16 March) met with Commissioner General of Customs Ahmed Mohamed and a delegation of senior customs official to discuss the increase in illegal animals being discovered during recent drug operations.

Commissioner Waheed told customs officials that in the past two weeks police have discovered illegal animals during special operations conducted to raid drug networks.

An illegal snake was also found on the streets on Male last week.

A police statement reported that Waheed told officials that citizens were now in constant fear, noting that the police do not have any role in the airports and other ports.

He also said that police now needed to conduct as many operations to confiscate illegal and dangerous animals as to curb drug related crimes.

Waheed requested that customs increase monitoring for illegal animals and also to increase people’s awareness on the issue.

He recommended customs issue an announcement calling for the surrender all such animals that anyone has to the customs department.

Customs officials – who have already promised to tighten regulations – told police that customs needed to increase screening and that those types of animals were smuggled in to the country after careful planning.

Customs officials also told police that the department currently has established procedures where bags and luggage of cargo boats crew members can be searched.

Officials noted, however, that not being able to give adequate punishment to people involved in this type of crime was an obstacle in curbing them.

Earlier this month police discovered a royal python – a nonvenomous snake commonly kept as a pet – following a drugs raid in Himmafushi, Kaafu atoll, on March 4.

In a separate raid on March 7 police also confiscated a Kingsnake and a Mexican red-kneed tarantula from a house in Malé.

A slow loris was also discovered by police in a drugs raid in Malé in Januray 21.  The species’ decline in numbers has been closely attributed to their unsustainable trade as exotic pets.

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Groom arrested for being in possession of narcotics

A man who had travelled to Hoarafushi in Haa Alif atoll to get married was arrested during his visit to the atoll for being in possession of narcotics.

The man – who was under island arrest in Malé under the state’s drug rehabilitation program – had gone to the island with a special permit from court for the purposes of getting married.

Police revealed that the 27 year old man was arrested in a boat travellling from Hoarafushi to Nolhivaram in Haa Dhaal Atoll.

The man is currently in custody at the Kulhudhuffushi police station, with the island’s magistrate court having extended his detention by 15 days.

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Customs increase security to tackle trade in dangerous animals

The Maldives Customs Service have confirmed they are increasing security measures to tackle the increase in dangerous animals being illegally imported into the country.

Senior Superintendant of Customs Ahmed Niyaz confirmed that from this week onwards the team are stepping up their security procedures in an effort to crack down on the illicit trade of animals.

“We have instructed cargo checks and consider giving more attention to these, and will report any findings,” said Niyaz, adding that customs were working closely with the police to carry out more thorough security checks.

In addition, Niyaz today stated that there hadn’t been any snakes intercepted in customs, but that there were many snakes being found in raids conducted by police.

The move follows the discovery of a 4ft long snake that was found on the streets of of Male this Tuesday (March 11). Local media Haveeru reported that the live snake was found on Galolhu Ruhkendiya Higun at 7:40pm.

Earlier this month police also discovered a royal python – a nonvenomous snake commonly kept as a pet – following a drugs raid in Himmafushi, Kaafu atoll, on March 4.

In a separate raid on March 7 police also confiscated a Kingsnake and a Mexican red-kneed trarantula from a house in Malé.

Local media Sun Online reported that customs suspected eggs of animals such as snakes were being brought in through seaports, as security is less in ports not regulated by customs.

“We have good procedures, but as there is an increase in these discoveries, more steps need to be taken,” Niyaz told Minivan News today.

According to the Maldives ports security laws, it is illegal to bring in “dangerous animals” without the appropriate permits.  Niyaz clarified that the majority of animals that are brought in are “not illegal, but require a permit”.

Any dangerous animals that are confiscated are handed over to the police, he said, adding that “if an animal is protected under convention they will inform the Ministry of Environment. They will then check with international bodies.”

In the majority of cases the dangerous animals will then be sent to other countries, due to insufficient space or expertise in Malé, he explained.

Niyaz confirmed that the recently confiscated slow loris – a highly endangered animal – has received significant interest from international partners wanting to take on the animal.

The slow loris was discovered by police in a drugs raid in Malé in Januray 21.  The species’ decline in numbers has been closely attributed to their unsustainable trade as exotic pets. During the raid police arrested eight Maldivians with illegal narcotics and more than MVR140,000 (US$9,000) and US$11,000 in cash from the residence.

The issue of trading dangerous animals was focused upon during World Wild Life Day on March 3, during which United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon gave a statement about the dangers of the trade.

“The environmental, economic and social consequences of wildlife crime are profound. Our particular concern are the implications of illicit trafficking for peace and security in a number of countries where organized crime, insurgency and terrorism are often closely linked.”

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Police arrest five for drug possession

Police arrested five young people yesterday (Monday 10) for possession of illicit narcotics.

The Maldives Police Service reported that they were a “22 year old, a 21 year old, an 18 year old and two 17 year olds, all locals”.

The Police Life website stated that they were taken in at 3:36pm on March 10 based on information which stated that these individuals were “involved in the trafficking and trade of illicit narcotics within the country”.

A search of their house revealed 80 cellophane packets of suspicious substances. The Drug Enforcement Department is investigating the matter further.

Police have made conducted a number of raids in recent weeks, with Home Minister Umar Naseer having vowed that the main target of his ministry for the next five years would be curbing drug-related crimes.

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Police find snake during drugs raid

Police have seized a 4ft snake following a drugs raid in Himmafushi, Kaafu atoll, today.

Local media have reported the snake to be a royal python – a non-venemous African species often kept as pets.

Police were said to have arrested seven individuals during the operation -which included searches of 11 houses over a twelve hour period.

All those arrested tested positive for drugs.

The snake is not the first exotic animal discovered during the police’s recent campaign on illegal drugs. During an operation in Malé’s Maafanu ward in January, police discovered a slow loris along with cash and drugs.

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Police bust trafficking network, arrest man with swallowed drugs

Maldives Police Service (MPS) arrested a 44 year old man in Male’ who had swallowed drugs, at midnight yesterday (March 3). After scanning the person at Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital, police was able to confirm that he had drugs inside his body.

In addition to him, another 21 year old who helped accommodate the person was also arrested. Police also searched a house in Male’ in the operation and found related documents and more than US$4000 in cash.

As the investigations continue, the police are now looking for a suspect believed to be part of this trafficking network – Mohamed Ihsan Saeed, 24.
According to MPS Ihsan has prior criminal records such as gang activity, disobeying police orders and damaging police property.

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Police to form a ‘K-9 dog squad’ to combat drug trafficking

As part of the government’s anti-drug trafficking efforts, the Ministry of Home Affairs has requested the Maldives Police Service (MPS) form a ‘K9 dog squad’.

Upon the ministry’s request, police will soon begin working on establishing the squad, a police official told today. According to the official, local police officers are to be trained for the squad.

Quoting the ministry, local news outlet CNM has reported that a total of fifteen officers would be trained for the purpose.

Police have earlier worked on bringing sniffer dogs into the country as counter-trafficking measure on several occasions. It was included in the organisation’s strategic action plan 2011 -2013, while in late 2012 Indian assistance was sought in bringing police sniffer dogs.

Dogs were also brought in from Sri Lanka for security operations during the 2011 SAARC Summit held in the Maldives . On that occasion the dogs were handled by Sri Lanka’s police elite special forces unit Special TaskForce (STF).

In October 2002 two sniffer dogs were brought to the Maldives from Sri Lanka, and were used at Ibrahim Nasir International Airport under the supervision of National Security Service – and later the Maldives National Defence Force.

In 2008, the chair of the parliamentary committee on narcotics, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih said that, to that day, no drugs were ever confiscated with the help of the two dogs. He said the committee’s investigations found that the dogs were in fact unable to recognize drugs.

Speaking to Minivan News today, an MNDF spokesperson confirmed that the two dogs did not remain in the country, though he was unaware of what had happened to them.

Under the unlawful imports act of 1975, dogs can only be brought into Maldives with a special permission from the Ministry of Defense and National Security.

Local interpretation of Islam is that dogs are impure animals and should not be touched or taken into one’s home. Scholars have declared that touching a dog even accidentally would require any Muslim to wash that part of the body seven times.

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Three arrested from MP Jabir’s house with illegal narcotics and alcohol

The Maldives Police Services raided opposition MP Abdulla Jabir’s house in Malé and arrested three individuals for possession of illegal narcotics and alcohol.

Local media report that Jabir does not live in the building.

The raid was carried out under a court warrant on Wednesday night.

The three arrested are a 24 year old man, a 27 year old man, and a 23 year old woman. The police found one bottle of alcohol, one empty bottle of alcohol, four bottles containing narcotics, and one rubber packed containing narcotics.

On Wednesday, the police found three packets thought to contain narcotics in Gaa Dhaal Atoll Faresmathoda Island. No arrests were made.

On the same day, the police arrested a 21-year-old man in Kaafu atoll, Kaashidhoo island, with 14 folded paper pieces containing narcotics. Three men in Kaafu atoll, Guraidhoo Island, were also arrested with 39 rubber packets containing narcotics.

On Tuesday night, the police arrested a 22-year-old man from Haa Alif atoll, Maarandhoo island, with drugs and poker chips. A woman in Haa Alif Atoll Ihavandhoo had accused the man of sexual harassment on the same day.

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Crime statistics reveal 46 percent spike in theft

Cases of theft reported to police last month increased by 46 percent compared to January 2013, according to crime statistics from the Maldives Police Service (MPS).

A total of 623 cases of theft were reported to police in January – an average of 20 cases a day – while 427 cases were reported in the same period last year.

Some 51 cases of theft and four cases of robbery have been reported so far in February.

Cases of robbery also rose from 54 in January 2013 to 88 cases last month.

Reported instances of theft had increased dramatically in 2012 compared to the previous year. While 4,734 cases of theft were reported in 2011, the number rose to 6,572 in 2012 – a 38 percent annual increase.

The figure climbed to 6,681 in 2013.

Robbery and theft currently account for roughly 50 percent of crimes reported to police.

Next to theft, the second highest number of cases reported in January 2014 involved drugs.

The number of drug cases filed last month reached 461, which represents a 56 percent hike compared to January 2013, during which police began investigating 295 cases.

The total number of crimes reported to police meanwhile increased by 20 percent compared with January of last year. While 1,742 cases were reported this year, the figure was 1,436 in January 2013.

Apart from theft, robbery, and drugs, other crimes reported in January this year included 100 cases of assault, 40 cases of sexual offences, 21 cases of domestic violence, six cases of counterfeit and forgery, 49 cases of vandalism, 17 cases of bounced cheques, 44 cases of embezzlement, and 150 lost items reported.

Meanwhile, at 189 cases, traffic accidents declined by eight percent last month compared to the same period in 2013.

Falling thieves

In November 2013, two men died after falling from buildings in the capital Malé during attempted robberies.

On November 15, a 29-year-old died of head injuries sustained in a fall from the fifth floor of the Galolhu Muthi residence.

One day later, a 31-year-old fell from the fourth floor of Henveiru Alikurige while attempting to jump on to the roof of a neighbouring house.

His foot reportedly got caught on an outdoor air-conditioning unit, which came loose and fell on his head.

Both thieves fell to their death while attempting to escape after being caught by the residents.

On January 7, a 27-year-old man fell from the fifth floor of Maafanu Mundhooge after a break-in. He survived the fall with minor injuries after landing on a pile of sand.

Three days later, a 32-year-old woman fell from the fourth floor of Manchangoalhi Light Corner during an alleged robbery attempt.

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