Two Customs Officials Fired Over Missing Cigarettes Linked to The Hawks Tanker

Two deputy commissioners of Maldives Customs Service have been dismissed and disciplinary action ordered for three other staff after discovery that cartons of cigarettes were removed from a bonded warehouse without authorization. The action follows a review by the parliamentary 241 committee.

The cigarettes—8,475 cartons (roughly 84,000 boxes or about 1.695 million individual sticks) — were seized in October last year and stored in a bonded warehouse. Officials say they were removed without customs approval.

Investigations point to the shipment being brought into the country aboard the oil-products tanker HAWKS JAVAAHIRU (IMO 9174232) operated by The Hawks Pvt Ltd. The vessel is built in 1997, with a gross tonnage of 2,966 and a length of about 101 metres.

According to police, the HAWKS JAVAAHIRU arrived on 24 October 2024 bringing the cigarettes unmanifested, and on the night of 25 October the goods were off-loaded at the company’s jetty in Thilafushi without customs clearance. The investigation is focused on smuggling and money-laundering counts.

The Hawks company website lists the vessel among its fleet: cargo capacity about 5.5 million litres, built in 1997. The company describes itself primarily as an oil-trading and fuel-distribution business.

In light of this case, the 241 Committee has also launched its own inquiry into potential business links, financial transactions and whether The Hawks may have been complicit.

Meanwhile, the government had earlier raised the tax on tobacco and cigarettes from 1 November last year, with a 50 per cent increase on other tobacco products. Despite the hike, smuggling and cheaper brands continue circulating—raising concerns about enforcement and illicit imports.