Maldives Police Service (MPS) has confirmed that the shipment of vapes confiscated amid preparations to ban the import of vapes into the country, did not contain any drugs.

Minister of Homeland Security and Technology Ali Ihusaan took to social media platform ‘X’ on October 14, claiming that a shipment containing cannabis, a type of drug, had been intercepted by the Maldives Customs Service under the guise of vape oil.

The minister stated that this was one of the main reasons President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu had to make the decision to ban the import of vapes into the island nation.

A photo claimed to be of vape cartridges containing cannabis that were intercepted while being smuggled into the country on May 14, was attached to the minister’s post.

He claimed that such drug-containing vapes were being deceptively distributed to school children.

The minister’s post about drug-containing vape cartridges being imported was made in connection with the president’s post announcing the ban on vapes.

The president’s post read that the import of vaping devices and their individual components into the Maldives would be banned from November 15 and that the use, possession, production, sale, advertising, and free distribution of vaping devices in the Maldives would be banned from December 15. He had also instructed relevant authorities to take all necessary measures to implement this.

However, in response to the minister's post claiming the presence of drugs in the vape shipment, the police on Tuesday revealed that the forensic lab tests conducted on the items in the vape shipment to test for drugs showed negative results.