NEW DELHI: The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on Thursday issued a stark warning to Indian citizens travelling to the Maldives, alerting them to sweeping amendments to anti-drug laws that now provide for the death penalty in cases of large-scale trafficking, an agency official said.
The advisory follows amendments to the Maldives’ Drugs Act that took effect in March 2026. The NCB said the new law prescribes "significantly enhanced penalties," including life imprisonment and capital punishment for large-scale trafficking, and tougher sentences even for possession of small quantities of prohibited substances.
The bureau said recent cases had been reported of foreign nationals, including Indian citizens, being arrested in the Maldives on drug-related charges.
"The amended law provides stricter punishment even for possession of small quantities of prohibited substances," the NCB said in a statement, adding that the High Commission of India in Malé had separately issued advisories urging nationals to comply with local laws.
The bureau also urged citizens to report any suspicious approaches through its MANAS National Narcotics Helpline.
The Maldives is a popular tourist destination for Indian travellers, with hundreds of thousands visiting the Indian Ocean archipelago each year.
The warning comes at a sensitive moment in India–Maldives relations, where Indian tourist numbers to the island nation have dropped sharply from 2023 to 2024 following a rift between the two governments.
The increase in China’s influence and an "India Out campaign" in recent years have led to a decline in relations between the two countries. Earlier, India and the Maldives had strong shared diplomatic, defence, economic and cultural ties.
The NCB urged all Indian travellers to avoid carrying packages or luggage on behalf of strangers, maintain full control of personal baggage at all times, and remain vigilant at airports, ports and transit points.
"Ignorance of the law is not a defence," the bureau said, adding that violations could result in severe punishment.
The NCB reiterated its zero-tolerance approach to drug trafficking and called on all citizens to remain "vigilant, responsible, and law-abiding" while abroad.