Tag: hash oil

Police make drug busts in three atolls

Police have arrested a number of individuals with illegal narcotics during the past two weeks in Baa Atoll, Addu City and Raa Atoll.

According to police media, a male suspect aged 21 was arrested with 11 packets of hash oil in an operation conducted in Baa Atoll Dhonfanu on October 18.

In a second arrest in Baa Atoll two days later, a female suspect aged 24 was taken into custody with nine packets of hash oil on October 20 from a launch traveling from Male’ to Baa Atoll Thulhadhoo. The arrest was made based on information received by police intelligence and the drugs were found in the suspect’s hand bag.

Both cases are being further investigated by the Baa Atoll Police Station.

On October 23, two male suspects aged 29 and 40 were taken into custody from an uninhabited house in the Maradhoo district of Addu City. The men were caught using drugs and were arrested with 20 rubber packets of suspected heroin as well as drug paraphernalia.

The arrests in Addu City were made based on information received by police intelligence. Both men tested positive for opiates at the Gan Police Station.

Meanwhile, a female suspect aged 20 was arrested on Thursday, October 25 from a boat traveling from Male’ to Raa Atoll Meedhoo. Based on a tip-off to police intelligence, the suspect was arrested from the boat when it arrived in Meedhoo and was taken to the Raa Atoll Ungoofaru Police Station.

Illicit narcotics were found in her possession when she was checked at the police station.

In the same atoll, a male suspect aged 33 was taken into custody yesterday (Friday, October 26) in Raa Atoll Dhuvafaru during an operation conducted by the Dhuvafaru Police Station. A rubber packet containing suspected drugs was found in the suspect’s shorts when he was searched at the police station.

The Dhuvafaru Police Station on October 23 began a special operation to curb crime and traffic violations during the ongoing Eid holidays.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Customs makes “significant” drug seizure in Trivandrum shipment

Customs authorities have seized what they are calling a major shipment of hash oil during a routine search of perishable products that arrived at Male’ International Airport yesterday from Trivandrum, India.

Mohamed Ibrahim of the Maldives Customs Service confirmed that 1.07 kg of hash oil was found hidden in false compartments within cardboard boxes of perishable goods, a technique he said has been used by smugglers before to try and get drugs past border controls.

The seizure is the latest in a number of drug seizures made by Maldives customs coming from Trivandrumin southwest India over the last 16 months, which Ibrahim claimed reflected concerns among customs officials in the country about a “high level risk” for smuggling.

“This is a big seizure and we have been collaborating with Indian police following routine searches based on a number of risk management factors,” he said.

“These risk management factors are based on a number of concerns, such of the origin of shipments and sometimes the company involved in sending the goods.”

In collaboration with local and regional police services, Ibrahim added that Customs authorities were continuing investigations into both parties suspected of sending and receiving the seized perishable goods, but could not comment any further at this time.

Just last month, Minivan News reported that two Maldivian nationals have been arrested in Trivandrum Airport for allegedly trying to traffic drugs to the Maldives smuggled into the baggage of a 14 year-old passenger.

In September, police said they had arrested 23 people suspected of having links with the country’s drug trade that lead to 36 separate cases being sent to the Prosecutor General’s office.

These allegations follow a number of high profile drug seizures made by Maldives Customs Services during the last two years from areas such as Trivandrum that saw 12 separate attempts at illegal narcotics transportation – totaling 12.56 kilograms with a street value of Rf 11 million – uncovered during 2009 alone.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)