13 men detained in connection to drugs seized on boat
3 more individuals arrested in connection to the case
MNDF officers with detainees
Thirteen men have been arrested and are being detained in connection to drugs seized from two boats captured in Maldivian waters.
According to the Maldives Police Service, six of the detainees connected to the drug bust have been sentenced to fifteen days in detention, whereas the two Maldivians and two foreigners arrested on the boat were sentenced to fifteen days and ten days, respectively.
Three additional people, suspected to be members of a drug trafficking network have also been arrested. The Maldives Police Service stated that these three individuals were also sentenced to fifteen days in detention but did not disclose their identities or when and where they were apprehended.
All thirteen individuals were arrested on Monday, stated The Maldives Police Service.
The Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) and the Maldives Police Service intercepted the vessel in a joint operation on October 5th with the help of intelligence information provided by the Indian Coast Guard on October 1st.
The vessel was captured approximately 172 miles (27.5 nautical miles) north-west outside of HA. Thuraakunu.
The Maldives National Defense Force revealed one of the intercepted boats was a Maldivian fishing vessel called "Hedheykuri-7" and the second was a foreign vessel but did not disclose its country of origin.
At the time of its capture, the foreign vessel was sailing under the flag of Iran and had six crew members on-board while the Maldivian vessel had a crew of two Maldivians and two foreigners.
