Maldives Customs Seizes MVR 2 Million Worth of Heroin in Airport Operation

Maldives Customs has intercepted 2.2 kilograms of heroin smuggled into the country by air, marking the latest in a series of narcotics seizures this year. Officials confirmed that the drugs were recovered from a traveller who arrived in the Maldives last Friday, and laboratory analysis later verified the substance as heroin. The haul carries an estimated street value of MVR 2.2 million, according to Customs.

Customs officers detected the narcotics during routine screening at Velana International Airport. The suspect was taken into custody immediately after the discovery, and the seized material was transferred for forensic testing. Authorities say the case has now been handed over to the Maldives Police Service for further investigation.

This latest interception follows a major maritime operation on 12 February, when authorities confiscated more than 36 kilograms of drugs being smuggled into the country by sea. That shipment carried an estimated street value exceeding MVR 29 million, underscoring the scale and persistence of trafficking attempts targeting the Maldives.

The country has recently tightened its legal framework around narcotics offences. In December, the Supreme Court unanimously endorsed amendments enabling the death penalty for drug traffickers under specific conditions.