Police report 202 arrests, nearly 500 kg of drugs seized under Operation Alimagu

Police have arrested 202 people so far under Operation Alimagu, the nationwide anti-drug crackdown launched last month.

According to the Drug Enforcement Department (DED), 193 suspects were arrested between November 13 and last Saturday, during which officers seized 30.6 kg of drugs, 182 bottles of alcohol, and multiple beer bottles.

Police said 71 cases have been investigated to date, while 34 cases have been forwarded to the Prosecutor General’s Office for prosecution.

At a press briefing on Wednesday, Chief Inspector Fathih Mohamed said an additional nine people, six men and three women, were arrested in a separate operation conducted from Tuesday to Wednesday morning. Officers seized one kilogram of drugs in that operation.

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As of last Saturday, police reported the following outcomes under Operation Alimagu:

• 16,024 individuals inspected  

• 997 people arrested  

• 188 operations conducted  

• 137 foreigners handed over for deportation  

• 301 people referred to the NDA for treatment  

• 11 underground drug dens shut down  

• 498.99 kg of drugs seized  

• 6,860 bottles of liquor and beer confiscated  

• Estimated value of seized items: MVR 875.23 million

Chief Superintendent Ahmed Naif, head of Drug and Substance Abuse Control, said the DED is currently investigating 133 cases, including 30 cases related to financing drug trafficking.

Naif noted that some cases could not be filed immediately despite having sufficient evidence, as certain related cases are still pending before the Drug Court.