Authorities have intercepted an attempt to smuggle drugs into the Maldives, via air.

Maldives Customs Service seized the drugs during a search operation between an air cargo consignment that arrived in the Maldives on September 16, and a Maldivian passenger who boarded Malaysia Airlines flight 485MH that arrived the same day.

The substances suspected to be narcotics were found to be drugs, and when examined by customs officials in the first phase, they found three types of drugs.

The smuggled drugs included 3,010 grams or 3.01kg of heroin smuggled through air cargo, 48 grams of heroin, 315 grams of methamphetamine and 215 grams of synthetic cathinone.

The confiscated drugs weighed a total of 3,588 grams (3.5kgs).

For further investigations, the passenger and confiscated drugs have been handed over to the Maldives Police Service (MPS).