An Iranian boat has been captured in Maldivian waters, while attempting to smuggle drugs into the country.

The boat was captured in a joint operation held by the Maldives Police Service (MPS) and Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF), and seven crew members have been taken into police custody.

Police’s spokesperson said that that the boat was captured by coast guard ship ‘Huravee’ on Monday night, and that it was located 126 nautical miles outside of Baa atoll.

While police said that a large amount of drugs were found on the boat, it has not revealed any further details on the matter.

The boat is believed to have been “widely” trafficking drugs in the region, and is currently being transferred to capital Malé City.

While a foreign vessel has been captured with large amounts of drugs, police had last week found 149 kilograms of drugs- said to be heroin and cannabis- buried on an uninhabited island in Huvadhu atoll.