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Maldives Customs seized 1.18 kilograms of cocaine worth an estimated MVR 2.9 million after discovering 66 drug capsules hidden inside a passenger’s body. Three people, including the foreign suspect, have been arrested in connection with the case.
Mariyam Adheela
Velana International Airport -- Photo: PSM
The Maldives Customs Service has intercepted cocaine worth an estimated MVR 2.9 million after discovering the drugs concealed inside the body of a passenger arriving through Velana International Airport.
Customs said the seizure was made on July 19 after officers selected the passenger for further screening due to suspicious behaviour. A search revealed 66 drug-filled capsules hidden inside the individual’s body.
The seized narcotics, which tested positive for cocaine, weighed a total of 1,180 grams. The suspect and the drugs were later handed over to the Maldives Police Service for further investigation.
The suspect has been identified as 53-year-old Jamaican national Andrew Lloyd Corbin. He has been charged with importing, possessing, using and trafficking narcotics into the Maldives.
According to the Criminal Court, Corbin admitted to carrying the drugs after Customs scans detected concealed objects. The court ordered him to be held in custody for 30 days.
The court also said police carried out a controlled delivery operation after taking Corbin into custody. Investigators alleged that messages found on WhatsApp instructed him to hand over the drug capsules to two separate recipients. Two Maldivian men who arrived to collect part of the shipment were later arrested.
