A total of 15,600 vape cartridges were seized Thursday from a cargo shipment brought to the Maldives by sea.

According to Customs, this is the largest shipment of its kind detained while attempting to be smuggled into the Maldives since the government decided to ban the import of vapes and electronic cigarettes into the Maldives on November 15, 2024.

Customs stated that these items were discovered during a special operation conducted at Male' Commercial Harbor, following suspicions that illegal goods might be present in a shipment brought to the Maldives.

A Customs official told "Mihaaru News" that this shipment was imported to the Maldives under the name of a person called Hussain Fiyaz. No further details have been provided yet.

Customs noted that during the operation, a shipment declared as "general cargo" was inspected, and a large number of vape cartridges were found hidden inside the shipment.

Customs stated that there were 15,601 vape cartridges in the shipment.

According to Customs, 22,309 vape cartridges have been seized so far in three operation over the past five days. This includes 5,600 vape cartridges seized last Wednesday, and 1,108 vape cartridges along with 27 devices seized during a special operation conducted at the Male' Commercial Harbor last Sunday and Monday, where they were found hidden inside potato chips cans and chocolate powder packets.

Under the Tobacco Control Act, the import and use of vapes in the Maldives was banned on December 15, 2024. It was also determined that 21 years is the minimum age at which tobacco can be bought and sold in the Maldives. Since then, attempts to illegally import vapes into the Maldives have been intercepted on multiple occasions.