468.6 kg of drugs found on a vessel seized in Maldivian waters

468.6 kg of narcotics have been discovered on a Sri Lankan fishing vessel seized in Maldivian waters. At a press conference currently underway at Iskandar Koshi, Commissioner of Police Ali Shujau stated that the MNDF informed the police at around 12:45 AM that a vessel believed to be a Sri Lankan fishing boat was intercepted off the coast of HDh. Makunudhoo and taken to HDh. Kulhudhuffushi harbor under Coast Guard custody. At the time, there were five Sri Lankan men on board the vessel.

“This is one of the vessels that we receive information about through various means, moving suspiciously in this area. This vessel was also identified through information received by the MNDF,” he said.

Shujau said that at 9:30 AM today, when MNDF Coast Guard officers along with Kulhudhuffushi City Police searched the vessel, a total of 468.6 kg of substances suspected to be narcotics were found. “According to preliminary test results of these substances, 344 kg of methamphetamine and 124.6 kg of cocaine have been found. The Drug Enforcement and Kulhudhuffushi Police are jointly investigating this case,” Shujau said. Shujau stated that this is considered a successful operation among the joint efforts of various agencies to prevent drug trafficking into the Maldives. He said that as the investigation progresses, they will continue to share information that needs to be disclosed.

According to Shujau, these drugs are worth one billion rufiyaa. Shujau has revealed that it is still difficult to say whether these drugs are linked to Maldivians or any Maldivian party. “We are at a very early stage, so it’s difficult to comment on that yet. We are in the process of gathering that information,” Shujau said. It is not yet confirmed if this is the largest drug shipment seized to date.

A fishing vessel operating illegally in Maldivian waters has been seized. According to the MNDF, the fishing vessel was seized in an operation conducted by the MNDF Coast Guard. The MNDF has not yet disclosed which country the vessel belongs to, how many people were on board, or in which area the vessel was seized.

However, it is believed that this vessel is likely from India or Sri Lanka. This is due to the similarities between the characteristics of this vessel and those used by people from those countries. The MNDF has only released a photo of the vessel.

On the 16th of this month, the MNDF also seized a vessel operating illegally in Maldivian waters. This vessel was seized using a drone from the MNDF Air Corps. This was the first time such a vessel was seized using a drone.

Speaker of the People’s Majlis and PNC Chairperson Abdul Raheem Abdulla said tonight that there is no need to hold a primary to determine the candidate for the ruling PNC in the upcoming presidential election, and if President Dr. Muizzu wishes to run for a second term, he will receive the ticket.

Speaking at a press conference after PNC’s internal election, Abdul Raheem said that according to PNC’s constitution, if a member of the party is serving as President in the current administration, they will receive the ticket for a second term without a primary. Therefore, he stated that this is not a situation that requires a primary.

Based on this principle, Abdul Raheem said that President Muizzu would receive PNC’s presidential ticket for 2028.

“Our constitution states that if a person who comes to power on PNC’s ticket wants to run for a second term while in office, they will receive the ticket without a presidential primary,” Abdul Raheem said.

“So, this is not something that requires holding a primary.”

Abdul Raheem said that he is working to make President Dr. Muizzu the first president to complete a second term in the Maldives.

Despite Abdur Raheem’s statement, President Dr. Muizzu has not yet said anything about running for a second term. So far, he has not spoken about this matter at all.

Abdur Raheem has stated that he has no intention of contesting in the upcoming presidential election. He also said that even if he gets the opportunity, he wants to “escape” from it.

“I have never had the intention to run for the presidency of the Maldives. And I won’t have that intention in the future either. I won’t even compete. Even if such an opportunity arises, I will escape from it,” said Abdul Raheem, who works most closely with President Dr. Muizzu.

President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has today thanked all those who won the internal elections of the main ruling party, PNC.

In a post on “X”, President Dr. Muizzu said he congratulates those who won the Congress Party’s internal elections. He also thanked all the candidates who contested for various positions and those involved in organizing the election.

President Dr. Muizzu also thanked all the members who voted in PNC’s election.

PNC’s internal election was held today from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Voting at some polling stations continued longer as they did not start at the scheduled time.

In this election, presidents and vice presidents of constituencies, and various positions for local activities such as steering committees were elected. If a constituency has a Member of Parliament, that constituency will not elect a president. Those constituencies will elect vice presidents and other positions.

In addition, each constituency will elect a president for the youth movement and a president for the women’s movement, and each city constituency will elect a president for the youth movement and a president for the women’s movement.

According to PNC, 1,984 positions will be filled in the internal election. This includes those who were elected unopposed, while 667 candidates contested in today’s election.

PNC had previously stated that this is the largest internal election held by a political party to date.

The current goal of the ruling party, PNC, is to increase its membership to 100,000, according to the party’s Chairperson and Speaker of the People’s Majlis, Abdul Raheem Abdulla

Speaking to the media overseeing the party’s internal elections, Abdul Raheem said that the party currently has 96,000 members, and the goal is to reach 100,000 members.

According to Abdul Raheem, the party has already received 97,000 forms, out of which more than 75,000 members have been registered. He also said that in the coming days, PNC will become the first political party to operate with 100,000 members.

Abdul Raheem further stated that when they came to power, the party had only 3,022 members. He also mentioned that they reached close to 100,000 members due to the strengthening of the principles followed by President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu.

“When we came to power, the party had 3,022 members. We reached close to 100,000 members because the people greatly accepted President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu’s policies. It’s because the principles he follows in running the party have become more robust,” said Abdul Raheem.

Mohamed Ismail, PNC member for the Vilimale’ constituency in the People’s Majlis, has stated that the work on the bill to ban Israeli passports will proceed at rocket speed.

Mohamed Ismail said this in response to a post by Ali Razeem claiming that banning Israeli passports has become like the devil’s marriage.

He said that the work on the bill will be carried out rapidly. He also stated that the work on the bill will proceed at rocket speed in the coming week.

While the 241 Committee is working on deciding on the bill to ban entry to the Maldives with Israeli passports, in the most recent meeting, the committee decided to obtain statistics from Immigration and seek opinions from various institutions and organizations before making a decision.

According to the ruling party PNC, President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu is one of the leaders who most strongly condemns the inhumane and cruel acts being carried out against the Palestinian people in the international arena, and who advocates most powerfully for the establishment of a Palestinian state and holding Israel accountable.

The PNC statement says that even experienced former presidents of this country have noted that this government is doing work for the Palestinian cause that no previous Maldivian government has done. The PNC claims that the largest financial assistance to the Palestinian people from the Maldivian government and people to date has been given by the PNC government.

The PNC has stated that there is no doubt that the work on the bill to ban Israeli passports will be carried forward with the advice and guidance of relevant experts, and will be completed according to schedule.

President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has welcomed the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The ICC issued this warrant in connection with the ongoing genocide in Gaza by Israel since October 7 last year. The warrant issued yesterday also orders the arrest of former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Hamas military leader Mohammed Deif Ibrahim al-Masri.

In a post on “X” regarding this matter, the President said that the Maldives welcomes the decision of the ICC and that this is a very important step towards holding Israel accountable for its war crimes and attacks against humanity.

The President said that the Maldives fully respects the measure taken by the ICC. He also emphasized the importance of implementing the court’s decision.

ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan said the charges against them include “facilitating extermination, creating starvation as a method of warfare, withholding humanitarian aid, and targeting civilians.”

The ICC, established in 2002, is the world’s only independent court created to investigate major crimes such as crimes against humanity and war crimes.

The Ministry of Housing, Land and Urban Development has stated that their failure to attend a hearing at the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICOM) on November 7 was due to an employee’s negligence, and that disciplinary action has been taken against that employee.

In a statement released by the ministry, it was said that conducting all affairs of the ministry in a transparent and accountable manner, and providing information requested under the Right to Information Act within the stipulated timeframes, is a high priority for the ministry.

The statement also mentioned that the fine imposed by ICOM on November 7 was due to the negligence of a ministry employee.

“Therefore, we inform you that disciplinary action has been taken against that employee in accordance with the Civil Service Regulations,” the statement said.

The statement also noted that the ministry is working on strengthening relevant procedures to prevent such incidents from recurring in the future.

Minister of Islamic Affairs Dr. Shaheem Ali Saeed has stated that the highest priority in next year’s plan to increase religious awareness will be to familiarize and instill love for prayer among all age groups in all regions.

Minister Shaheem has embarked on an official trip to Fuvahmulah City.

During this trip, the Minister met today with students of the Prayer Program conducted by Fuvahmulah City Council with the assistance of the Islamic Ministry and well-wishers.

The Minister said that this is a very good and successful program being run by the council.

Minister Shaheem’s trip is in response to an invitation from Zikra International College to participate in their graduation ceremony. In addition to attending this ceremony, the trip includes meetings with Fuvahmulah City Council, the Hifz Committee and Khutba Committee members, Hafizs, and Imams of the city.

Furthermore, it is planned for him to inspect the projects being carried out by the ministry in Fuvahmulah City and to view the area designated for the construction of the Waqf building.

The Minister is scheduled to return to Male’ today after concluding this trip.