Authorities have reached the decision to deport the Iranians in their custody over the boat captured while in distress, suspected to be a vessel used for drug smuggling.

Speaking to RaajjeMV over the authorities’ decision, Prosecutor General Hussain Shameem stated that investigations revealed that they were captured while the boat was distressed, after its engine broke down. He further revealed that it has not been proven that they were attempting to smuggle drugs into the country.

The PG went on to reveal that no Maldivians were captured from the Iranian boat and that there is no evidence implicating Maldivians involvement with the Iranians on board in any way.

As such, the authorities decided to deport the Iranians as there was no evidence to carry out the investigation against them.

While the boat was attended to by Maldives Police Service (MPS) officers on 3 November, after its engine was reported to have stopped 4.8 nautical miles from Mandhoo island of Alif Dhaalu atoll.

Back then, officers had discovered “suspected” narcotics, on-board and seven crew members were taken into police custody.

Authorities earlier identified such boats as drug-smuggling vessels that use Maldives as a transit point.

In the past, several trials were carried out in similar such cases.

On Tuesday, Maldives Police Service released all Maldivian men, except one, arrested in connection to a drug-smuggling case via another Iranian boat that was caught on 5 October with 70 kilograms of heroin. Criminal Court ordered for Ali Anwar Mohamed, 35 and the arrested Iranians to be kept in remand for the remainder of the trial.