The Criminal Court of the Maldives has ordered the detention of three suspects remanded into police custody following a major intelligence-led operation that seized over 800 bottles of contraband alcohol from an organized distribution network operating in Malé.
The suspects, who include both Maldivian and foreign nationals, were intercepted during a coordinated raid conducted by the Maldives Police Service's Drug Enforcement Department and Counter-Narcotics Intelligence Unit across multiple residential and storage locations in the capital.
Coordinated raid and contraband seizure
Acting on targeted surveillance regarding an illicit liquor trafficking network operating in Greater Malé, tactical police officers intercepted a delivery vehicle and subsequently raided an unauthorized warehouse where liquor bottles were being packaged for domestic retail distribution.
In total, police confiscated over 800 bottles of assorted commercial spirits alongside cash believed to represent illicit sales revenue:
"The operation dismantled an organized network engaged in smuggling, warehousing, and distributing large volumes of prohibited alcohol within local communities. The suspects have been placed under formal judicial detention," police investigators confirmed.
During the remand hearing, state prosecutors submitted evidence indicating that the suspects played coordinating roles in transport, warehousing, and financial transactions. The presiding judge granted an initial 15-day custodial remand to allow forensic teams to process confiscated mobile devices and trace supply channels.
Tightening surveillance on illegal imports
The operation forms part of intensified law enforcement operations targeting illegal black-market imports across ports, industrial zones, and residential neighborhoods in the capital.
The Maldives Police Service reiterated that the distribution and consumption of alcohol outside licensed tourist resort islands is strictly illegal under Maldivian penal statutes. Authorities urged public vigilance, warning that property owners who knowingly lease premises for contraband storage face severe financial penalties and criminal forfeiture proceedings.