Maldives Customs have seized two kilograms of illegal narcotics smuggled into the Maldives by an Indian cargo vessel named MSV Maria Janemal.
According to a statement issued by the customs department, the drugs were packed into four packets.
Three of the packets contained 2105 grams of heroin and the fourth packet contained 85 grams of hashish oil, according to the customs department.
The customs department said the drugs were hidden in two location of the cargo vessel.
“The captain of the boat and the seized drugs have now been handed over to the police for further investigation,” the customs department said in the statement.
The customs department said that the drugs were seized on February 23 in an operation conducted based on intelligence reports.
According to the customs department, all the passengers of the vessel were Indian nationals and were still under customs charge.
Customs said the boat arrived to the Maldives on February 16, carrying fruits and vegetables from India to be imported to the Maldives.
On November 27 last year, police seized a local drug network and arrested five Maldivians and four Indians while they were in possession of 9 kilograms of illegal substances.
The men were arrested after they arrived in the Maldives aboard a cargo boat named ‘Silver Cloud 49’, a vessel carrying goods from India to the Maldives that had just unloaded eggs, potatoes and onions from Tuticorin port in India.
In May last year, the Police Drug Enforcement Department (DED) have busted a large drug network they alleged centered around a 56 year-old man working on the cargo vessel ‘MV Reina’, and seized a large quantity of cannabis and illegal drugs trafficked into the country.
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