Authorities arrest Indian liquor peddlers

Maldivian authorities have arrested three Indian expatriates in Malé on suspicion of being involved in the illegal sale and distribution of liquor.

The Criminal Court has issued a 15-day remand for the three arrested suspects, aged 48, 26, and 22 years, due to concerns that they posed national security risk.

Their remand order read that authorities discovered bottled liquid suspected of alcoholic beverages from a ground floor room of their residence and from another apartment in the same alley where their residence was located.

The confiscated items consist of 273 500-ml bottles and four five-liter bottles of alcoholic beverages, including a Jameson brand product. According to the Maldives Police, the suspects had also set up equipment for alcohol peddling in their residence.

The court order corroborated the findings of the Maldives Police Service, which uncovered 36 containers filled with fermented liquor in the process of production. Additionally, authorities found keys in the possession of the suspects that were used to access the location where these items were discovered.