Customs has released the rolling tobacco shipment saying the law does not prevent its import.
Maldives Customs Service released previously seized shipments of rolling tobacco, citing no legal grounds to prevent import of the goods.
The shipments were previously held in accordance with a notice sent to the agency by the Ministry of Health. The notice cited the Maldives Tobacco Control Act which outlaws the manufacture of tobacco products, and reminded Customs to stop the import of materials used to produce tobacco products.
However, a senior official of Customs told 'Mihaaru' that the law does not prohibit the import of any tobacco products. He clarified that the law only prevents the manufacture of tobacco products in the Maldives. Because of this, Customs released previously held shipments of rolling tobacco, the official said.
"Customs is a law enforcement agency. Customs always checks whether something is in violation of a law or not. We confirmed that it did not violate any law and released the shipment," the official explained.
"Import and manufacture, these are two things, yes? The law does not prohibit the import of anything of that kind into Maldives. Since, the law does not explicitly prohibit it, we decided to release [the shipments of rolling tobacco]."
The Tobacco Control Act was amended last November to ban the importation and use of vapes. Although the Ministry of Health, citing the amendment, directed the Customs to prohibit the importation of any items used for self-manufacturing tobacco products, the law does not explicitly say so.
With the amendment to the Tobacco Control Act, the use and trade vape has been banned in Maldives since December 15 last year. The sale, free distribution, use and import of electronic cigarettes, along with vapes and vaping devices, have also been banned with heavy fines for noncompliance.
The government has also increased the duty on cigarettes by 50 per cent.
Sign In
