MPL Cigarette Heist Executed by Replacing Containers With Duplicates, Police Reveals

The Maldives Police Service has revealed that the heist involving stealing two containers of cigarettes from Maldives Ports Limited (MPL) was executed by replacing them with two duplicate containers. 

In a statement released by the police detailing the progress and how the heist was executed, they revealed that the culprits brought two duplicate containers to the MPL Hulhumale International Terminal, replaced them with the originals before stealing them. The containers were then taken to Thilafushi, where it was dismantled and discarded. Police stated that they found parts of the destroyed containers at a site on the island. 

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Police also revealed that their investigation found that the name and registration number of the vessel used in the heist were changed after the crime. 

A total of 9 people have been arrested, according to the statement, including the masterminds of the heist, the individuals who participated in the replacement of the original containers with the duplicates, and the captain of the vessel who was sailing it at the time, along with people who were found to be involved through official investigations. 

According to the statement, seven people have been remanded until their trials progress, and two others have been remanded for 16 days by court order on 1 November. 

Among those remanded are prominent businessman and Lotus owner Ahmed Arif (Aattey), Mohamed Waheed — known as Dhigali and the owner of Apollo Holdings, former senior Customs officer Muaz Ali, Ziwar Ismail, ship captain Adam Waheed, and two others—Hassan Abdul Rahman and Ahmed Firushan. Two other individuals, named Hussain Samih and Ahmed Shaheem, were also arrested. 

According to the Maldives Customs Service, the containers held approximately 360 cases of cigarettes, equivalent to around 13.6 million sticks, with an estimated duty value of MVR 122 million.

The police service has urged anyone possessing information or intelligence about the heist, or about any case of smuggled cigarettes, to come forward and share the data with the police. 

Recently, President Mohamed Muizzu had directed the removal of two senior staff members from the Maldives Customs Service in connection with a cigarette smuggling and money‑laundering investigation. The president made the decision following a letter from the Parliamentary Committee on National Security Services (the “241 Committee”) detailing its findings on an incident in which cigarettes were reportedly smuggled into the Maldives via an oil-tanker owned by Hawks Private Limited and a separate case involving the removal of cigarette cartons from a bonded warehouse under Maldives Customs. 

The parliamentary 241 Committee had recently reported a surge in illegal cigarette and vape imports, warning that smuggled tobacco now exceeds legally imported duty‑paid volumes.