News Desk
MALÉ, Maldives — In one of the largest drug seizures in recent Maldivian history, authorities intercepted nearly 470 kilograms of narcotics from a Sri Lankan vessel on Sunday, while a separate customs operation discovered additional drugs at Male’ port, as President Mohamed Muizzu pledged to combat the island nation’s growing drug epidemic.
The Coast Guard and police, acting on intelligence from the Maldives National Defence Force, intercepted the fishing boat off HDh. Makunudhu in northern waters. Five Sri Lankan nationals were found aboard, Police Commissioner Ali Shujau announced at a press conference.
During a search at Kulhudhuffushi port authorities recovered 468.6 kilograms of suspected drugs. Preliminary tests revealed 344 kilograms of methamphetamine and 124.6 kilograms of cocaine, with an estimated street value of 1 billion Maldivian rufiyaa (approximately $65 million), according to authorities.
“It is one of our top priorities to rid the country of drugs altogether,” President Muizzu wrote on X, while on a private visit to the United Kingdom. He commended law enforcement agencies for their efforts in combating what he described as “the menace of drug epidemic.”
In a separate operation on the same day, customs officials at Male’ Commercial Harbor intercepted 1.518 kilograms of drugs, which tested positive for methamphetamine, during a routine search of a sea freight shipment. The contraband, valued at approximately 3 million rufiyaa ($195,000), has been handed over to the Maldives Police Service for further investigation, customs officials said in a statement.
The dual seizures highlight the ongoing challenges facing the Maldives as it grapples with drug trafficking along major Indian Ocean routes.
