Police have formally accused The Hawks Pvt Ltd of money laundering and attempting to smuggle goods into the country in connection with the 200 cigarette master cartons seized last year.

According to a news release on the police website, the cigarettes were believed to be smuggled into the Maldives on the Hawks' overseas ship, The Hawks Javaahiru.

"So far, the investigation has revealed that the cigarettes were brought to the Maldives on The Hawks Javaahiru Ship on October 24, 2024, without being included in the ship's manifest. And on the night of October 25, 2024, the cigarettes were secretly smuggled into the Maldives by disembarking them to the Hawks boatyard jetty in Kaafu Thilafushi," police stated.

The case is being investigated by the police and customs and the investigation is based on two main offences - attempted smuggling and money laundering.

Police said 200 master cartons of Manchester brand cigarettes were smuggled into the Maldives. A master carton is 10,000 cartons or two million cigarettes. This is even higher than the amount earlier reported to have been seized by customs.

The Hawks Pvt Ltd previously denied being interested in the cigarette business and said it was an oil trading company. Fourteen Hawks employees have been suspended in connection with the incident.