NEW DELHI: Two Malaysians were arrested while trying to smuggle drugs worth about RM3.7 million into the Maldives.
Maldives Customs officers found 15 kg of cannabis in the luggage of a 44-year-old Malaysian who arrived at Velana International Airport on the Emirates flight EK656 from Dubai on Saturday morning, according to Maldives police on Monday.
Superintendent of police Mohamed Afzal said the seized cannabis has an estimated street value of 12.3 million Maldivian rufiyaa (RM3.7 million) and initial tests confirmed the substance to be cannabis.
"Following the discovery, our Drug Enforcement 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 showed potential links of the suspects with individuals from four different countries which were part of an international drug trafficking network.
The cannabis haul is the biggest such seizure in the Maldives this year. – BERNAMA