The Maldives Police Service (MPS) has announced that during an ongoing operation in southernmost Addu City as part of Operation Alimagu, ten locations have been searched under court orders and ten individuals have been taken into custody.

In a statement issued to the media, the police institution reported that six of the ten arrested individuals have already been presented before the court and had their remand periods extended.

These individuals are believed to be key figures in a major drug trafficking network involved in illicit drug trade.

MPS also stated that another individual arrested during the operation, Hassan Nazeef, 36, S. Hithadhoo, was presented to the court for an extension of his remand, and the court ordered his detention for an additional five days.

Information shared by police indicates that over MVR 19 million has been transacted through the accounts of four individuals connected to this Hithadhoo drug network over the past five years, underscoring the scale of the operation under investigation.

In addition to this, the People’s Majlis last Wednesday passed amendments to the Drug Act, enabling the death penalty to be imposed on individuals found guilty of importing or trafficking illegal drugs into the Maldives, contingent on the unanimous agreement of Supreme Court judges reviewing the case.