National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has revealed the amount of narcotics seized by Maldives Police Service (MPS) increased fourfold in 2019, compared to the previous year.
NBS released statistics related to narcotics on the occasion of the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, marked on June 26. As per the statistics, a total of 408.3 kilograms of narcotics were seized by MPS in 2019, which is a 4 times higher than the 104.7 kilograms seized in 2018. The statistics also revealed the highest percentage of narcotics seized in MPS operations consisted of cannabis.
Meanwhile, NBS revealed 2,188 cases were submitted to the police in relation to illegal drugs and narcotics in 2019, which was 1.9% lower than the 2,230 cases submitted in 2018. 1,490 people had been arrested in 2019 in relation to these cases, of which 88% were Maldivians.
97% of the individuals arrested in relation to narcotics cases were males, while 69% of them were between the age of 18 and 34. 45% of the arrests were made for possession of narcotics, while 29% were arrested for using illegal drugs. Meanwhile, 15% were arrested for selling narcotics and 9% arrested for importing them to the Maldives.