Three kilos of drugs smuggled via air transport by a Maldivian seized

Customs has seized 3.5 kilos of drugs attempted to be smuggled into the Maldives via air transport. 

Customs said the drugs were seized from an air cargo shipment that arrived in the Maldives on Monday and from a Maldivian passenger who arrived in the Maldives via a Malaysian Airlines flight on the same day.

In this regard, Customs said the items seized suspected to be drugs during both instances tested positive for three types of drugs in the first phase of testing.

The details of the drugs:

Air Cargo: 3,010 grams (3.01 kilograms) of heroin

Passenger: 48 grams of heroin, 315 grams of methamphetamine (meth) and 215 grams of synthetic cathinone

The total weight of the drugs seized comes up to 3.588 kilograms.

Customs added that the seized the drugs and the passenger have been handed over to police custody for further investigation.

Drugs remain one of the most prevalent social issues in the Maldives.

As per statistics disclosed by Maldives Police Service, they have received 1,160 cases related to drugs so far this year.