Maldives Customs Service has seized more than eight million cigarettes attempted to be smuggled into the country by sea.
Customs stated that the discovery was made during an operation launched following intelligence that a sea freight shipment might contain illicit goods. Upon inspecting the shipment, which had been declared as "general cargo," officials found 8,527,480 cigarette sticks concealed inside.
The seized cigarettes are currently in Customs custody, and the agency confirmed that further investigations into the matter are underway.
This seizure comes after the government reversed a decision to hike cigarette duties. The government justified this reversal by citing an increase in the circulation of counterfeit cigarettes following the duty hike.
Following the reduction in duty, the price of a pack of cigarettes has dropped from MVR 240 to MVR 150, with some brands now retailing for as low as MVR 120. Additionally, the prevalence of counterfeit cigarettes in the market has declined.
The government maintains that these changes were implemented to curb the black market for counterfeit cigarettes and were based on recommendations from the World Health Organization (WHO). However, the WHO has yet to issue an official statement regarding this claim.
