The Maldives Customs Service has seized more than 8.5 million cigarette sticks that were being smuggled into the country by sea.
It said that said the items were seized during a special operation conducted at the Male' Commercial Harbor on September 27, 2026, on suspicion of containing illegal items.
Customs said that during the operation, a shipment declared as "general cargo" was searched, and a large number of cigarettes were found hidden inside the shipment.
A total of 8,527,480 (eight million five hundred twenty-seven thousand four hundred eighty) cigarette sticks were seized, and these items have now been taken into custody.
Customs said they were further investigating the matter.
