Maldives Customs Service has revealed a large amount of money which was being smuggled out of the country was seized during the last two months.
Customs stated three individuals were apprehended across the last two months for attempting to carry a large amount of money out of the country without obtaining the required permits.
Customs revealed a 29-year-old Maldivian man and a 33-year-old Bangladeshi man were apprehended on December 12 while carrying over USD 129,500 and USD 38,900 respectively. The institution also revealed a 31-year-old Maldivian man was apprehended on January 22 while attempting to carry over USD 64,750 out of the country. Customs said the cases have now been forwarded to Maldives Police Service for further investigation.
According to The Prevention of Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism Act, an amount over USD 20,000 cannot be carried out of Maldives without seeking a special permit from Customs.