Police reveal details of suspects in 72kg drug bust

Maldives Police Service has released the details of the suspects arrested with over 70kg of drugs earlier this week.

While police also disclosed details of its operation, which is to have launched after receiving an intelligence report of a number of narcotics being smuggled into the country via a vessel named “Masjaree”.

Police Commissioner, Mohamed Hameed had previously revealed they had conducted an operation on land and sea, to foil the drug trafficking operation.

Noting that the drugs were smuggled in to capital Male’ City on Tuesday, police said that the 72kg of drugs was seized from the trunk of a car.

Police said that search operations were conducted in various parts of the city, adding that two cars as well as a launch and boat were taken into custody as well.

While 10 suspects have been arrested in relation to the case, they include crew members of the boat as well as those that smuggled the drugs into the capital as well as those in the car.

Criminal Court remanded two of the suspects by 15 days while four were remanded by 10 days, three suspects four seven days and one was given a five-day remand.

The 10 suspects arrested in the operation are; Irufan Thagiyyu, 32; Mohamed Visham, 28; Ahmed Naseer, 38; Ali Ahmed, 38; Mohamed Akram, 27; Abdulla Visham, 26; Mohamed Shareef, 34; Mohamed Furgan, 33; Mohamed Wajeeh, 35 and Ahmed Shinan, 30.

Police said that Irufan Thagiyyu and Mohamed Visham are the suspected masterminds behind the drug trafficking network.

While police did not reveal any further details, Commissioner Hameed had said that the drug confiscated in the operation was heroin. He also said that the confiscated drugs has a street value of over MVR 70 million.

The police commissioner added that police will continue to disrupt the trafficking of narcotic drugs “despite deficiencies in the criminal justice system”.