The Maldives Police Service has officially confirmed the seizure of 355.9 kilograms of narcotics from a Sri Lankan fishing vessel named “Avishka Putha”, which was intercepted in the Maldives’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) on November 7.
According to the police statement, the vessel was taken into custody by the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) Coast Guard after entering Maldivian waters illegally without authorization, violating national maritime laws and regulations.
During an initial inspection by MNDF officers, suspicious sacks believed to contain narcotics were discovered. The vessel and its five Sri Lankan crew members were subsequently handed over to the Maldives Police Service on November 9 for investigation.
A detailed search of the vessel conducted under a court-issued warrant on November 10 uncovered 24 sacks containing 355.9 kilograms of suspected narcotics, comprising approximately 58.6 kilograms of heroin and 297.3 kilograms of methamphetamine (Ice).
The five suspects—Sri Lankan males aged 39, 42, 28, 34, and 63—remain in custody as part of an ongoing joint investigation involving the Maldives Police Service, MNDF, Sri Lanka Navy, and Sri Lanka Police.
Authorities described the seizure as a major blow to a regional drug trafficking network believed to operate across the Indian Ocean using fishing vessels as transport. The case marks one of the largest drug busts ever recorded in Maldivian waters.
