Police say a 14-year-old child has been involved in 53 drug-related cases over the last three years.
Police revealed this at the media event held at Iskansharu Building yesterday displaying multiple stalls to demonstrate the prevalence of substance abuse situation in the Maldives.
The information from the police paints a grim picture as the child has been questioned on 354 occasions on different matters between January 1, 2019, and December 31, 2021.
Police said that between this period, the child was involved in 2 cases of drug peddling, 16 cases of drug abuse, and 35 cases of drug possession.
They said that the 14-year-old was also involved in fights, attempts of vandalism, abductions, theft as well as driving a vehicle without a license, and being involved in gang activities.
The Family and Child Protection Department at the Police said that the child was not cooperating with the program held by Juvenile Justice to remove the child from a crime-related life.
But they said that they have been able to re-enroll the child into a school and bring a measure of responsibility and routine into the child's life.
