Customs authorities in the Maldives have intercepted a shipment of heroin with an estimated street value of MVR 5 million. The illicit cargo was discovered in an air freight consignment that arrived from Dubai on Monday.
Officials decided to inspect the air shipment due to suspicions that it might contain hidden narcotics. The inspection revealed seven packages, two of which contained items that were suspected to be illicit substances.
Subsequent tests confirmed that the packages were indeed heroin. The total weight of the seized drugs was 4.030 kilogrammes, with its value pegged at around MVR 5 million. The Maldives Customs Service has since transferred the confiscated narcotics to the Maldives Police Service for further investigation.
Recent times have witnessed a surge in attempts to smuggle drugs into the Maldives through postal services. On 23 September, authorities had halted an attempt to smuggle 2.2 kilogrammes of drugs into the country via a courier service. On 4 August, a similar operation had also intercepted 490 grammes of cannabis being smuggled in the same manner.