KUALA LUMPUR: Two Malaysians have been arrested while trying to smuggle drugs worth about RM3.7mil into the Maldives.
Maldives Customs officers found 15kg of cannabis in the luggage of a 44-year-old Malaysian national who arrived at Velana International Airport on Emirates flight EK656 from Dubai on Saturday morning, according to Maldives police on Monday (July 29).
Superintendent of police Mohamed Afzal said the seized cannabis has an estimated street value of 12.3mil Maldivian rufiyaa (RM3.7mil) and initial tests confirmed the substance to be cannabis.
"Following the discovery, our Drug Enforcement team initiated a controlled delivery operation. This operation led to the arrest of an additional suspect, a 41-year-old Malaysian male, on the night of July 28," the police said in a statement.
The two suspects have been remanded to custody for five days.
"Our investigation is ongoing, and we are working closely with international law enforcement partners to gather additional intelligence," chief inspector Ahmed Waheed said.
The investigation shows potential links of the suspects with individuals from four different countries as part of an international drug trafficking network.
The cannabis haul is the biggest such seizure in the Maldives this year. – Bernama
