Customs seize 18kg of drugs smuggled into Maldives

Maldivian customs have seized 18.62 kg of drugs being smuggled into the country by air in a special operation.

Homeland security minister Ali Ihusan said on X that the street value of the drugs was estimated at MVR 26 million.

“I would like to thank customs personnel for their valuable hard work in ensuring that the country’s border is fully maintained in accordance with the president’s special instructions, as part of efforts to rid the country of drugs,” he wrote.

Ihusan added that the authorities were dismantling the environment that enables drug trafficking and taking legal action against those involved.

Photos and videos released by customs show more than 30 packets of drugs concealed inside pots and parts of artificial plastic trees.

The drugs, which arrived in an air cargo shipment from Bangalore, India, tested positive for cannabinoids.

No information has yet been released about those involved.