A fifth suspect has been arrested in connection with the theft of 13.6 million cigarettes seized by Maldives Customs earlier this year.
The two containers of smuggled cigarettes were confiscated on April 26 and stored at the Hulhumale’ seaport, managed by Maldives Ports Limited (MPL). The theft was discovered on October 8.
Hassan Abdul Rahman, 52, from Link, K. Thulusdhoo, was arrested on Tuesday night, marking the fifth man to be arrested in the case. Police said parts of the stolen containers were recovered from Thilafushi the same day.
According to the court order, Hassan is accused of aiding the successful theft of the cigarettes. The court cited sufficient evidence to support the charge.
Four other suspects were arrested on October 14, including two prominent businessmen believed to have financed the heist:
Ahmed Arif (Aattey), 61, owner of Lotus  
Mohamed Waheed (Dhigali), 65, owner of Apollo Holdings  
Zivar Ismail, 40, senior Customs official  
Muaz Ali, 48, former Customs official and current general manager at Maldives Industrial Fisheries Company (MIFCO)
On October 15, the Criminal Court remanded all four into police custody: Arif for 15 days, Waheed for 10 days, and Muaz for five. On Monday, Muaz’s remand was extended by another 10 days. Both Muaz and Zivar have since been suspended from their posts at government companies.
The original remand periods for the other three suspects remain in effect.