Aftab Ahmed,Nadheem Moghul were arrested last Monday as they travelled via Colombo into Maldives, with heroin in their stomachs

Two Pakistanis were caught on July 14 with 122 “bullets” of heroin in their stomachs, attempting to smuggle the drugs into the Maldives, police have said. Two Maldivians have also been arrested over the case.The four were arrested in a joint operation between customs and police, said Mohamed JInah, head of the police Drug Enforcement Unit (DEU), at a Thursday press briefing. Aftab Ahmed, 49 and Nadheem Moghul, 41, were arrested last Monday as they travelled via Colombo into Maldives, with heroin in their stomachs weighing a total of 865.094 grams, according to Jinah. The two Maldivians arrested are Visham Shafeeq, 23, and Ahmed Nabeel, 22. Jinah described Visham as “deeply involved” in the drugs trade, and said Nabeel is Visham’s “partner”. “We noticed the two tried to find the drugs in order to sell them on two occasions during the operation we conducted,” he said. Visham is “reported to play a big role in bringing in the most dangerous type of heroin, or pure heroin.”According to Jinah, the Internal Intelligence Department’s information showed Visham had smuggled in drugs through a Pakistani and people of other nationalities. The DEU continues to receive information on the drugs trade and those involved in it via the International Intelligence department, says Jinah.
The Maldives has seen a rise in arrests relating to drugs in recent months, particularly relating to trafficking via air routes.In April four Pakistani citizens and one Tanzanian were arrested at Malé International Airport as they attempted to smuggle 189 bullets of drugs via the Maldives to Tanzania.
In March, two Sri Lankans were arrested with heroin worth over US $1 million in hidden compartments in their luggage as they entered the Maldives, again at Malé International Airport. The drugs they carried were also said to have originated in Pakistan.
Meanwhile five men have now been sentenced to life over a November 2.18 kilo drugs haul. One of the men in the case, Azmath Khan, is a Pakistani citizen.
The high-profile case includes allegations of an international drugs ring with links in Pakistan, Malaysia and Sri Lanka.
The government’s National Narcotics Control Bureau (NNCB) says about 10,000 to 12,000 of the country’s youth are drug addicts, and according to the government, more than 80 per cent of inmates are in prison over drug-related crimes.
Government has repeatedly faced accusations of failing to control the country's drugs trade, but launched its first Drug Control Masterplan in May.

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Paradise is slowly becoming a nest for drug offenders

Addu Atoll Office and island offices has claimed that while the atoll is slowly becoming a nest for drug offenders, the role played by the police is not sufficient.
In recent months, many have brought the issue to the attention of Atoll Office and island offices as drug abuse, theft and violence has become increasingly more rampant. Many have brought the issue to the attention of Addu Atoll office “However much we call them, they are not coming, police are not interested in what is going on in the atoll, they have a personal affront towards the atoll” said a Maradhoo person.
These days drug traffickers openly engage in business on the roads of Addu, as police presence is some what less. This is especially more in Maradhoo.
Atoll Chief Mohamed Abdulla told Kaafu Laamu that many have raised the issue to the Atoll office and that even Atoll Office has urged the police to be more active.
“Police cannot have a personal affront towards the people of a certain island, many people of Maradho have said that when they call police for assistance, police responds back by saying that all the people of Maradhoo are all offenders, how can it be, just because a police vehicle was attacked in Maradhoo they cannot base their thinking like that” said a senior citizen of Hithadhoo.

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