Cocaine worth MVR 6.5m seized; man deported

Drugs worth MVR 6.5 million were seized from the luggage of a woman who arrived in the Maldives by air on Monday and the person who brought it was sent back without allowing to enter the country.

The items were seized from the luggage of a 23-year-old Brazilian woman who arrived via Qatar Airways, customs said in a statement.

Customs said the drugs were found during a search of the luggage of the passenger.

"The arrested person has been sent in accordance with the rules governing the treatment meted out to a foreigner who is suspected to be trying to smuggle drugs into the Maldives," the customs said in a statement.

"In accordance with the regulations and in consultation with the enforcement agencies, the immigration authorities have deported [her] without entering the country," the customs statement said.

Only 2.6 kg of cocaine was recovered from the luggage in contraband and would be worth more than MVR 6.5 million in terms of street prices.

While customs seized the contraband on Monday, two boxes containing a large quantity of drugs smuggled by air went missing from Velana International Airport (VIA) last month. The police had said at the time that they were looking into the matter.