Minister of Homeland Security and Technology Ali Ihusaan has issued a firm national warning as police dismantled Addu City’s biggest drug trafficking network in a sweeping operation carried out on December 3. Announcing the breakthrough in an X post, he declared that the state will show zero tolerance toward narcotics traffickers and that no leniency or exceptions will be granted once investigations reach an individual.
The arrests were made under Operation Alimagu, a major initiative conducted on the directive of the President to eradicate illicit drugs from the Maldives. The operation targeted the leadership of a criminal enterprise long believed to be one of the most entrenched drug networks in the southern region.
According to the Maldives Police Service, the group had been under specialised investigation since March. Findings reveal that the network has operated since 2017 and moved more than 19 million Maldivian Rufiyaa through the accounts of four principal suspects over the past five years. Officers described the ring as the most extensive trafficking structure ever uncovered in Addu City.
Minister Ihusaan said traffickers have been repeatedly advised to cease their activities, adding that the state will now pursue them with full legal force. He stressed that those involved in the narcotics trade must understand that strict legal action will be the only outcome going forward.
The success of Operation Alimagu marks a significant advance in the government’s nationwide crackdown on organised drug crime, with further targeted operations expected as part of the administration’s broader security strategy.
