17 Maldivians have been arrested in a police drug operation in capital city Malé on Friday.

The Maldives Police Service said that the individuals were arrested from a house in Galolhu, where they found drugs packed for distribution and paraphernalia used to process it.

Officers seized over 164 packets of an illicit substance, a film cannister storing an illicit substance, and 10 pieces of cellophane.

The arrestees are all male, between the ages of 18 and 41.

Police had arrested 21 individuals in an operation carried out earlier this week as well, where they seized similar items. However, five of these individuals were not held in remand.