Six people and a minor arrested in Maafaru with drugs

A minor and six adults have been arrested in N. Maafaru with a large number of drugs.

Police said that they were arrested on Wednesday morning while executing a search warrant in Maafaru at two houses suspected to have drugs as part of the special operation by the N. Manadhoo Police Station to fight the smuggling, trade and use of drugs in the atoll.

While five small rubber packets containing drugs were found at one of the two houses, Police said that two of the seven arrests made were from the same house. Equipment for packing and using drugs was found at the second house where the other five people were arrested.

“In this case, the people brought into Police custody are a 23-year-old man and two 26-year-old men from N. Maalhendhoo, a 21-year-old man from N. Maafaru, a 23-year-old, an 18-year-old and a minor below the age of 18 from Lh. Hinnavaru.” Police said.

Police said that the seven people arrest had their urine tested and all seven came back positive for different types of drugs.

When they were taken to N. Manadhoo Magistrate Court to make a decision about their remand, Police said that the court extended their remand to investigate while detaining them at a location decided by the Home Ministry. And so the remand for the 26-year-old and a 21-year-old were extended by seven days while the minor was given 15 days of house arrest. The remaining people got ten days to their remand.

Police said further that 162 small rubber packets of suspected drugs were found inside a cigarette pack buried at the beach with the combined effort of the operations team of Manadhoo Police Station and Police Intelligence.

The cases area now being investigated by the Manadhoo Police Station.