Maldives Police Service on Monday said that seven individuals have been arrested in a big drug network bust.

Speaking at a press conference in the evening, police’s acting head of the Drug Enforcement Department (DED), Inspector Rajni Shuaib said that the drug network was busted in a special operation conducted in Inguraidhoo island of Raa atoll, after receiving a tip of illegal narcotics sale in the island. He said that the seven suspects were arrested under a court order, and that six properties have been searched since.

The seven places searched include, two houses in Inguraidhoo, and four houses in the capital Malé City-  Henveiru ‘Happy Villa’, Maafannu ‘Fiyajahaage’, Henveiru ‘Oysterge’ and Galolhu ‘Dream of Garden’.

Inspector Shuaib said that they found ‘two rubber packets suspected to contain narcotics’, an empty film-can and a bag suspected to have contained narcotics, during their search at Henveiru ‘Happy Villa’. Ahmed Aalim, 26, and Mohamed Irufan, 23- both from Inguraidhoo- were arrested from ‘Happy Villa’.

 ‘One empty film-can suspected to contain narcotics, a cellophane piece and eight bullet-sized rubber packets’ were found from Galolhu ‘Dream of Garden’- they all are to have weighed 18 kilograms. Police said that Ibrahim Shafeeg, 26 and Ali Faathih, 22 were arrested from the house. They are from Inguraidhoo as well.

’48 celloplhane pieces and six rubber packets’ were found in the raid in Henveiru ‘Fiyajahaage’, and 20-year-old Mohamed Misbaah, from Inguraidhoo, was arrested from there.

Inspector Shuaib said that Aalim, Shafeeg and Misbaah have police records of substance abuse. Both Alim and Shafeeg are to have tested positive for a drug called ‘DHC’.

According to police, Aalim is suspected to have headed the operation along with Shafeeg, while Misbaah is believed to have been active in smuggling the drugs into Malé and Inguraidhoo.

Police said that they had found ‘empty packets and cellophane used to pack narcotics and equipment used to weigh them’ from the fourth house, Henveiru ‘Oysterge’.

Police also raided two houses in Inguraidhoo island, where they found a total of 26 kilograms of drugs. Aishath Ilhaamaa, 26 and Mohamed Jazlaan, 24, were arrested. Ilhaamaa is suspected of ‘hiding’ the dugs sent by operation-head Aalim, and also being actively involved in its sale. Jazlaan is suspected to have sold the dugs as well.

Inspector Shuaib informed that all seven have been issued remand sentences as police continue to investigate the matter. He added that the case will be forwarded for prosecution, after concluding the investigation.