Police have arrested nine individuals from an uninhabited island in Baa atoll for drug use and possession. The nine arrested include three Maldivians and six foreigners.
Police have arrested nine individuals from an uninhabited island in Baa atoll for drug use and possession.
Police said that in an operation carried out last Saturday by the Drug Enforcement Department in collaboration with Narcotics Intelligence, 162 cans of alcohol, 5 bottles of alcohol and 12.8g of suspected drugs were found during a search of an uninhabited island called Maarikilu.
The nine arrested include three Maldivians, three Sri Lankans, two Indians and a Bangladeshi. They have been identified as:
- Alhaan Rasheed Hussain, 49, M. Javaahiru Vaadhee, Male'
- Mariyam Rifau, 25, Holland, Gn. Fuvahmulah Dhiguvaadu
- Abdul Muhusin Hassan, 65, Vafa, R. Inguraidhoo
- Alavandan Sivagunana Sandaram, 39, Sri Lanka
- Kanagaraj Ponnaya Supayya, 46, Sri Lanka
- Sabeshan Naharaja, 31, Sri Lanka
- Kumarisan Chinnaia, 20, India
- Dinesh Sammiyappan, 29, India
- Mohamed Masood, 46, Bangladesh
When presented in court for remand hearings, Masood was released on conditional bail. Remand in custody has been extended by 15 days for the remaining eight individuals.
Maarikilu is an island leased for agricultural and fisheries work.