Police advise to establish a system to monitor guesthouse occupants

With the increase of illegal drug trade through guest houses, Police have advised to establish a system to monitor the actions of occupants at guesthouses.

Talking to the press today, the Head of the Police Drug Enforcement Department, Superintendent of Police, Ahmed Shifan said that while renting rooms at guesthouses, the owners have to check what the occupants do in those rooms.

“Especially instruct and advice guesthouse owners to be aware of who they are and why they are here when renting rooms.” Superintendent Shifan said.

He said that Police have noticed people staying at guesthouses with false identification and with the ID card of another person. Looking back at the Police operations conduction, Superintendent Shifan said that they have noticed that false identification is mostly provided to conduct drug related activities.

Talking about the drug operations conducted in this month so far, the Superintendent said that two men were arrested with one kilo grams of illegal drugs at 9 p.m. last night.

He said that the two men of the ages 20 and 22 years old who were arrested has multiple drug related arrests on their record.

The drugs confiscated last night has a street value of MVR 1.5 million.

Superintendent Shifan said that on 7 May, a 25-year-old woman and a 27-year-old man were arrested at a guesthouse in Maafannu with illegal drugs. Police found 20 bullets and 100 grams of heroin which is believed to be in the process of being sold after being imported.

He said that the drugs have a street value of MVR 150,000.

In a drug operation conducted on 18 May in Hulhumale’, four men were arrested with 100 grams of heroin. Police say that the four men has a record for selling illegal drugs.