Drug traffickers will be pursued ‘in Maldives or abroad’: Naveen
The operation, named Operation Alimagu, is being carried out across five regions with the deployment of more than 500 officers.
Commissioner of Police Ismail Naveen on Thursday said the police will pursue all individuals involved in drug trafficking, including those operating from overseas.
Naveen made the comments in an interview with state broadcaster PSM, following the nationwide anti-drug operation launched earlier in the day.
The operation, named Operation Alimagu, is being carried out across five regions with the deployment of more than 500 officers. Naveen said the operation was initiated on his instruction after reviewing intelligence gathered by the police.
He said the expansion of police presence across the country had enabled the force to carry out an operation of this scale.
According to Naveen:
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This is the largest anti-drug operation conducted in the Maldives.
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Police expect to gain significant insight from the operation.
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The operation will not conclude in a single day and similar activities will continue.
“In the future, we will conduct operations against drug smugglers and traffickers in the Maldives. Whether they are in the Maldives or abroad, we will go after each of them,” he said.
Naveen said the ongoing operation will extend to smaller islands in the coming days.
“The outcome I want is to identify all perpetrators and dismantle these networks completely. Those who traffic drugs into the Maldives from abroad and those who distribute them inside the country must be traced and brought to justice,” he said.
According to the latest police figures, 97 people have been arrested and 86 locations have been searched as part of the operation. Naveen said the numbers will continue to rise as the operation progresses.
