The Maldives Police Service (MPS) has issued a formal denial refuting media reports that a Sri Lankan fishing vessel, seized by Sri Lankan authorities with a massive drug haul, had loaded its illicit cargo inside Maldivian territorial waters.
The denial followed initial publication in a Sri Lankan newspaper which claimed the narcotics consignment—later confirmed to be 355 kilograms—was transferred onto the boat while operating within Maldivian jurisdiction.
The vessel, whose crew and owner are now in custody, was seized and subsequently taken to the Sri Lankan port of Dikkovita.
However, the controversy surrounding the origin of the drugs was resolved when MPS officially quoted its Sri Lankan counterparts to confirm that the seized vessel was definitively not loaded with the narcotics from Maldivian territory.
In addition to the 355 kilogram of seized drugs, six crew members and the owner of the vessel have been arrested by Sri Lankan authorities in connection with the major trafficking operation.