Maldives Customs has seized more than 8 million cigarettes allegedly smuggled into the country by sea.

A large quantity of cigarettes was found hidden in a shipment declared as general goods at Male' Commercial Harbor on Sunday, Customs said in a social media post.

A total of 8,527,489 cigarette sticks were seized and taken into custody, according to Customs.

Cigarette smuggling increased following a 2024 amendment to the Import/Export Act that raised import duties on tobacco products, according to Customs.

In another major seizure, Customs previously confiscated 13 million cigarettes in a single shipment.

The government has since reduced the import duty on cigarettes from MVR8 to MVR4 per cigarette following advice from the World Health Organization (WHO).