All suspects in cigarette heist remanded pending trial

All nine suspects arrested in connection with the theft of two containers of cigarettes seized by Maldives Customs have been remanded in custody pending trial.

The containers, which held more than 13.6 million cigarettes, were stolen from the Hulhumale' Port, where they were being held under the custody of Maldives Ports Limited (MPL).

Among those arrested are two prominent businessmen; Mohamed Waheed (Dhigali), owner of Apollo Holdings, and Ahmed Arif (Aattey), owner of Lotus shops, who are alleged of funding the heist. Both men had previously been ordered to remain in custody until the end of their trial.

The most recent arrests in the case were Shaheem of Nooralee, Haa Dhaalu Vaikaradhoo, and Samih of Chaandhanee, Seenu Hithadhoo. The pair were remanded again this week after their earlier seven day remand expired.

Others arrested include:

The two 40-foot containers had been seized earlier this year after Customs discovered 1,360 cases of cigarettes hidden inside a plywood shipment. Officials estimated the unpaid duty for the contraband to be around MVR 122 million.

Customs said the containers were kept under MPL’s custody pending completion of the investigation when the theft occurred on the night of October 8.