Maldives: Enhancing law enforcement capacities and inter-agency coordination to counter drug trafficking

Hulhumale, Maldives/13 August 2025: Traffickers are constantly finding new ways to conceal narcotics and precursor chemicals within legitimate mediums, and the ability of officials to detect these threats swiftly and accurately often determines whether illicit shipments slip through or are stopped in their tracks. Building such expertise is vital for safeguarding borders and communities from the harms of drug trafficking. Capacity building plays a crucial role in enhancing national responses to drugs and crime, especially in regions vulnerable to transnational threats.

Recognizing this, UNODC, through its Passenger and Cargo Control Programme (PCCP), convened a four-day Anti-Smuggling Training Workshop on Illicit Drug and Precursor Trafficking in the Maldives. The programme brought together 22 officers from customs, the Coast Guard, and police, with a focus on equipping them with advanced skills to counter the growing threats posed by narcotics and precursor smuggling.

Over the course of the training, participants gained a deeper understanding of international drug control conventions and protocols. They explored the wide range of illicit drugs and chemical precursors encountered worldwide and studied trafficking routes that continue to evolve with global trade. Special emphasis was placed on how traffickers manipulate legitimate shipping channels, underscoring the importance of vigilance at sea and air entry points in an island nation like the Maldives.

Experts from the World Customs Organization and INTERPOL shared real-world case studies, offering practical insights into concealment techniques used across maritime, air, and land transport. Group discussions and exercises enabled officers to map high-risk trafficking routes and strengthen their skills in risk assessment and interdiction planning.

Adding a practical dimension, participants trained with the Handheld Narcotics Analyser using Raman spectroscopy, gaining hands-on experience in testing narcotics samples. This state-of-the-art tool, provided by the PCCP to the Maldives Customs Service, demonstrated how modern technology can enhance detection capacity and support effective interdiction at border points. The workshop enabled participants to not only sharpen their technical knowledge but also built stronger ties across agencies.

This activity contributed to SDG 16 and SDG 17: https://sdg-tracker.org/

(Supported by the United States Government)