Two businesses to be charged over cigarette removal from bonded warehouse

Maldives Customs has submitted a request to the Attorney General's Office seeking over MVR 67 million owed to the agency after a large amount of cigarettes went missing from two bonded warehouses.

Customs identified the two bonded warehouses as Exotic Enterprises and SGM Bonded Warehouse.

Regarding the matter, Customs said Exotic Enterprises was registered with the agency and that an inspection showed 165 cases of Camel Yellow cigarettes, 110 cases of American Legend cigarettes and 300 cases of Manchester Royal Red cigarettes (575 cases of cigarettes in total) were illegally removed from the premises.

An additional 250 cases of American Legend cigarettes and 130 cases of Afzal Molasses pipe tobacco were illegally removed from the bonded warehouse registered as SGM, Customs also said.

Because of this, the case is being investigated in collaboration with the police, Customs said.

The agency further said that registrations for both bonded warehouses have since been cancelled that that they are seeking MVR 47.2 million and MVR 20.7 million from Exotic Enterprises and SGM respectively.

Bonded warehouses established in residential houses are required to be equipped with two locks - one only accessible by Customs and the other accessible by the responsible entity for the bonded warehouse.

Following the emergence of the issue, Customs amended its regulations disallow the operation of bonded warehouses in private residences.