Maldives among top destinations of drug cargoes from Pakistan
23 ޖުލައި 2021 | ހުކުރު 08:40In 2019, 150 kilos of heroin were seized as it was being exported to the capital city of Maldives by Pakistanis
(File photo) Narcotics in police custody
It has been reported that Maldives is one of the top countries among many that Pakistan exports drugs to.
The three countries known to export drugs most frequently in the area are Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan through path of sea. Although authorities have been keeping an eye on the Pakistan and Afghanistan borders, they have not been able to put a stop to the smuggling of drugs.
As per India's Zee News, most of the drug boats from Pakistan originate from Gwadar and that the the Pakistani origin is rarely caught as the "drugs are exchanged in mid-sea".
Sri Lanka is also among one of the top countries of drug cargoes from Gwadar.
This April, the Indian Navy had seized a Pakistani fishing boat, with a total of five crew members carrying Rs 30 billion worth of drugs in the Arabian Sea. In April 2020, nine crew members were found smuggling 605 kilos of crystal meth and 579 kilos of ketamine by the Sri Lankan Navy.
While people involved in the drug trade by sea are caught by the Maldivian Coast Guards, people are also arrested for drug smuggling through air crafts from time to time.
In a joint operation between Maldivian, Sri Lankan and Indian authorities, 150 kilograms of heroin was seized by the Maldivian Coast Guard in a vessel travelling through Maldivian waters by Pakistanis. This incident took place in October 2019. That same year, 51 kilos of drugs was caught being exported into the Maldives by an Iranian ship.
Four Pakistanis were arrested in September last year as well, with links to a major drug haul.
Recently, Maldives Police Service (MPS) has been successful in stopping a number of narcotics entering the country.
