Police release 'unrelated' expat over 18kg drug seizure

Maldives Police Service has released a foreign national who was detained after attempting to clear a shipment in which 18 kilograms of drugs were found concealed.

The drugs were discovered by Maldives Customs in a special operation carried out on Tuesday night. The narcotics, which were concealed in tree pots, arrived on a flight from Bangalore, India.

According to Customs, the street value of the seized drugs is estimated at approximately MVR 26 million. A 35-year-old Bangladeshi national was arrested at the time while attempting to clear the shipment.

However, the police confirmed on Thursday that the individual had been released.

A spokesperson for the police stated there was no evidence linking the man to the drug smuggling operation.

"According to the police investigation, there is no connection between the drug smugglers and the person who went to clear the goods," the spokesperson said.

Authorities have identified the seizure as the largest single drug bust in the Maldives so far this year. The second largest was recorded in February, involving 14 kilograms of drugs.

The largest drug seizure last year involved 400 kilograms, which were intercepted in November. The estimated street value of that consignment was MVR 1 billion.