News Desk
The Maldives has seized more than 1.33 tonnes of drugs since the current government took office, with a street value of MVR 1.4 billion, Home Minister Ali Ihsaan said at a PNC senate session.
Ihsaan said police had conducted 508 operations targeting drug suppliers and had raided a single known drug location 180 times. Twenty-three drug cases are being investigated as money laundering offences. Around 17,000 bottles of alcohol intercepted in transit to islands have also been confiscated, and licences of some alcohol importers have been suspended.
The minister said a dedicated police unit established under this government has been tracking and acting against those bringing drugs into the country, a capability he said did not exist before. Cargo and postal packages are now being scanned more extensively, and controlled delivery operations are being used to trace supply chains back to their source.
Ihsaan also referred to the recent amendment to the law introducing the death penalty for drug trafficking, saying the previous practice of releasing drug offenders from prison ahead of elections had been brought to an end under this administration.
He said President Muizzu was focused on building lasting structures to address the drug problem rather than making decisions with elections in mind.
The Maldives has one of the highest rates of drug use per capita in the region. Despite repeated enforcement drives by successive governments, supply has remained consistent, and the drug trade is widely understood to have deep financial links to money laundering networks operating through the country’s cash economy.
