Ihusan: 1.3 tons of drugs seized in three years, 23 cases probed as money laundering

Home Minister Ali Ihusaan stated on Wednesday that over 1.3 tons of drugs have been seized, while 23 drug-related cases have been investigated as money laundering within the first three years of this administration.

Providing information during this afternoon's session of the ruling PNC's congress, which continues until Friday, Ihusaan noted that prior legislation did not provide sufficient grounds to take stringent action against drug traffickers.

Minister Ihusaan highlighted that the government has implemented several measures to address the long-standing drug issue, including stopping the supply and distribution chain after narcotics enter the country, and focusing on rehabilitating addicts.

"The President's decision is that we will impose the harshest penalty, which is the death penalty. If anyone imports and traffics drugs into the Maldives above a certain quantity, the punishment will be death. That decision has been made, and with the support of the honorable members of the Parliament, the law has now been amended accordingly," Ihusaan said.

Furthermore, Ihusaan pointed out that historically, drug traffickers have often engaged with politicians near elections to secure their release from prison. He noted that successive governments would arrest them, only to release them again when an election approached.

"The President said this ‘joke’ must end. Therefore, the President immediately relinquished the powers granted to him by law to grant clemency to drug traffickers. This means they cannot be pardoned, and their prison sentences cannot be commuted. The President chose to give up this power because he did not want to take that risk; he considered the Maldivian citizens rather than the election," he added.

During his presentation, Ihusaan also shared various statistics. Citing police data, he noted that authorities had raided a single drug-dealing location 180 times.

To reduce the supply of narcotics, 508 operations targeting traffickers have been conducted, resulting in the seizure of 1.33 tons of drugs since the current administration took office. He stated that the street value of these substances amounts to MVR 1.4 billion and confirmed that 23 related cases are being investigated as money laundering.

Additionally, he reported that approximately 17,000 bottles of alcohol were seized while being transported to various islands, and the licenses of several alcohol importers have been suspended.

Ihusaan explained that a specialized service has been established within the police force to identify and take action against those importing drugs into the Maldives.

"As a result of this initiative, action will be taken against the actual kingpins importing drugs into the country in the future," he said.

He also stated that cargo and mail packages are being scanned more rigorously, and authorities are using controlled delivery methods to identify the true perpetrators and investigate these cases.

The drug issue remains one of the oldest and most significant challenges in the Maldives. According to the latest police statistics, 1,903 drug-related cases have been reported so far this year, accounting for 21.4 percent of the 8,912 total cases reported.