A total of 64.84kg of drugs have seized so far this year, the Maldives Customs Service has said.
Speaking at a joint press conference by police and Customs on Monday, Mohamed Afzal, head of intelligence, said the most commonly seized type of drug was cannabis with 17.38kg so far this year.
“The second most common type was noted to be heroin. A total of 11.60kg was seized in five heroin cases,” Afzal said.
Customs statistics show that the street value of drugs seized between January and July this year reaches MVR 106,358,952.
Last Saturday, customs seized 15.38kg of cannabis from the luggage of a 42-year-old Malaysian man who flew to the Maldives via Dubai. The street value of the cannabis was estimated to be MVR 12.3 million.
It was the first time that drugs were seized from a Malaysian passenger and the largest haul by weight so far this year.
A 41-year-old Malaysian man has since been taken into custody in connection with the drug smuggling attempt, Chief Inspector of Police Ibrahim Imran, head of narcotics operation, told the press.
Suspects from four different countries were involved in the case and the Maldives police has sought the assistance of foreign agencies, said Chief Inspector of Police Ahmed Waheed, head of drug trafficking investigations.
Statistics of drugs seized by Customs
- Cannabis - 17.38 kilos
- Heroin - 11.60 kilos
- Cocaine - 15.64 kilos
- Synthetic cathinone - 14.10 kilos
- Methamphetamine - 4.62 kilos
- MDMA - 1.15 kilos
- Amphetamine - 0.35 kilos
Groups involved in the drug trade are active in countries most frequently visited by Maldivians, Afzal said. He urged travellers to those countries to be wary of accepting items handed over by unknown persons.
Several people arrested in the past over drugs smuggled via air had carried such packages. Despite their innocence, they were legal responsible for drugs found in their luggage.
