Time for drug dealers to

Minister of Home Affairs Umar Naseer has said that the police have commenced efforts to eliminate trafficking and dealing of drugs in the Maldives, and that it is now time for drug dealers to ‘close down’ their businesses.

Umar said this while speaking at a dinner given to the police following the arrest last week of leaders of two largest drug networks in the country.

“I would like to say to drug network leaders in the Maldives, it’s time for you to ‘close down’ your businesses. God willing, with the help of the police and the courts, we will bring drug dealers in the country to justice,” Umar said.

He said that the two recent operations, whereby the leaders of the two drug networks were arrested, mark the beginning several similar ‘attacks’ on drug dealers by the police.

The two police operations referred to by the Home Minister were carried out on 5 and 16 December.

On 5 December, the police arrested a leading drug dealer and confiscated 1 kg of drugs.

Umar said that during the operation last night, the police successfully busted one of the biggest drug networks in the country.

He said that it will take 15 years to fully remove drugs from the country, but future generations will be destroyed unless efforts are made now to find an immediate solution to this problem.

He said that efforts are under way to arrest Maldivian ‘drug lords’ in India and Sri Lanka who are coordinating transport of drugs to the Maldives.