Maldives Police Service (MPS) has arrested three individuals in connection to a drug smuggling case.

Arrested were a two Maldivians aged 29 and 30 and a 26-year-old foreigner.

The three were arrested during an operation conducted jointly by the MPS Drug Enforcement Department and the Maldives Customs Service at the Velana International Airport.

On Monday, police checked the luggage of the 29-year-old man who had arrived in VIA from a morning flight following which they discovered 24 rubber packets suspected to contain narcotic substances.

Upon receiving reports that another Maldivian was involved in the smuggling, they had arrested the 30-year-old the same day at VIA.

The same day, a foreigner who arrived in the Maldives from an evening flight had been checked upon which they sound two bottles suspected to contain narcotic substances. The 26-year-old was arrested and brought into police custody then.

The two Maldivians were remanded by seven days by the Criminal Court and the 26-year-old was remanded by 15 days.

They are to be kept in detention at a facility decided by the Ministry of Home Affairs.

By year end in 2018, Maldives Customs revealed that they had seized 232 percent more narcotics in 2018, compared to 2017.

As such, they had seized 32 kilograms of narcotics in 83 operations from 1 January 2018 to 31 December 2018.

There has been an increase in drug trafficking and usage in recent days.