Lotus Fihaara head Ahmed Arif (Aattey) and Apollo Holdings CEO Mohamed Waheed (Dhigali) the brother of President Mohamed Muizzu’s cabinet secretary have been arrested along with senior Customs officers Muaz Ali and Ziwar Ismail over the theft of 13 million cigarettes from two seized containers under Maldives Customs Service custody.
The stolen cigarettes, worth over MVR 100 million in import duties, were part of an illegal shipment first seized by Customs in April this year. The containers were imported as cargo for the Saudi Bin Laden Group, the contractor behind the Velana International Airport (VIA) new terminal project. The local clearance agent, Leo Trading, discovered the concealed cigarettes inside the shipment and immediately alerted Customs but what followed exposed the rot within state institutions.
A theft under state supervision
The stolen containers were under Customs lock and Maldives Ports Limited (MPL) supervision when they disappeared. Shockingly, the containers were replaced with fakes — complete with the same numbers and even contained a meme of former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom in place of the contraband.
According to multiple credible sources, elaborate preparations were made within the port to carry out the theft. CCTV cameras were turned off or blocked, with other containers stacked in front to hide the crime scene. “Many preparations were made inside the port,” one source said. “Some cameras were deliberately switched off that night. But one camera remained on, showing the location of the containers and the boat that took them.”
Inside job with high-level involvement
Investigations have confirmed that a boat approached the Hulhumalé Port during the first week of August, loaded the two containers, and transported them to Hulhumalé Phase 3. The containers were reportedly emptied there before being taken back to the port to avoid detection. Once the theft was complete, the cameras were turned back on to make it appear as though nothing had happened.
Sources have also revealed that if the CCTV footage hasn’t been deleted, MPL still has recordings showing the people involved in loading the containers and operating the boat used for the theft.
One of the main suspects, Ahmed Arif (Aattey), is a politically well-connected businessman. He previously contested the 2019 parliamentary elections for the B. Eydhafushi constituency under the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) but later switched sides to support the People’s Progressive Movement (PPM) during President Muizzu’s campaign. His company, Lotus Fihaara, is a known business entity in the capital.
The arrest of Mohamed Waheed (Dhigali), the brother of the President’s Cabinet Secretary, raises serious questions about how deeply this criminal network runs within the current administration. Both Waheed and Arif are believed to have used their connections to influence Customs and MPL officials, who played key roles in facilitating the heist.
Public outrage and calls for accountability
The scale and sophistication of this operation involving Customs, port officials, and politically connected businessmen has sparked public outrage and renewed calls for independent investigations.This theft is another stark example of systemic corruption and impunity under President Muizzu’s government, where allies and cronies appear shielded from real accountability.
The big question now is whether the Muizzu administration will allow a transparent, full-scale investigation or whether this, too, will be quietly buried to protect those close to power.
