Transactions worth more than 28 million were carried out through the bank accounts of two suspected drug lords arrested from Fuvahmulah, police have said.

In a statement on Tuesday, police said Ahmed Niushad, 34 and Hassan Azim, 29 were arrested under court warrants based on intelligence reports.

“From the efforts made so far in this operation and the investigations conducted, we have identified the suspects and their accomplices who are at the forefront of extensive drug trafficking and money laundering in Fuvahmulah,” police said.

The investigation revealed that more than MVR 21 million had been rolled through Niushad’s bank account in the past five years and more than MVR 7 million had been rolled through Azim’s bank account in the past two years.

The bank accounts of 21 people and two companies have been frozen under a court order in connection with the case as police continue the money laundering investigation.

Police have so far raided 4,048 places, stopped and questioned 1,147 people and arrested 58 people under Operation Veshi Rakkal launched in Fuvahmulah in January.

Police have investigated 75 cases against the 58 people arrested in connection with the drug cases and sent 65 cases to the Prosecutor General's (PG) Office.