Drugs on seized Sri Lankan fishing boat not loaded in Maldives, police say

The Maldives Police Service has confirmed that a Sri Lankan fishing boat seized with 355 kilogrammes of drugs off the country’s western coast did not load the narcotics from Maldivian waters.

The vessel, Sidhevi, was intercepted and searched by Sri Lankan authorities, who recovered 355 kilogrammes of drugs on board. Six crew members were arrested following the operation.

Sri Lankan police said the drugs had been loaded from Maldivian waters. The Maldives Police Service issued a statement on Wednesday confirming that the drugs did not originate from within the Maldives’ territory.

“Sri Lankan officials have confirmed to the Maldives Police Service that the ship seized with 355 kilogrammes of drugs was not a vessel that loaded drugs from Maldivian waters,” the statement read.

According to Sri Lankan police reports, the owner of the vessel was arrested and questioned during the investigation. Local media in Sri Lanka reported that the boat had been handed over to the owner’s nephew for fishing, and that the owner claimed no knowledge of the drug trafficking.

Investigations later revealed that the vessel had not engaged in any fishing activities. The owner and six others were arrested and remanded in custody for eight days.

Sri Lankan police estimated the street value of the seized drugs at approximately 5 billion Sri Lankan rupees.