Maldives Customs Service has revoked the registration of two bonded warehouses in Malé after discovering that large quantities of cigarettes and tobacco products were illegally removed. The agency is also seeking to recover financial damages for the lost goods.

According to Customs, an inspection of Exotic Enterprises’ bonded warehouse revealed that 575 cases of cigarettes, including brands like Camel Yellow, American Legend, and Manchester Royal, were illegally issued. Similarly, an inspection of SGM’s bonded warehouse found that 250 cases of American Legend cigarettes and 130 cases of Afzal Molasses pipe tobacco were missing.

Both cases are under investigation by Customs in coordination with the police. The matter has also been forwarded to the Attorney General’s Office to recover financial losses—MVR 47.2 million from Exotic Enterprises and MVR 20.7 million from SGM.

This development follows an incident in December when cigarettes were reported missing from bonded warehouses, prompting Customs to ban the operation of such facilities in private homes.