Confiscated sea cucumbers in police custody to be auctioned off

The Maldives Police Service has decided to auction off a batch of sea cucumbers that were taken into their custody.

In an announcement issued yesterday, the police authority publicly notified the auction of these sea cucumbers and opened the opportunity to bid.

The announcement stated that interested parties should complete the "Auction Registration Form" and email it, along with a copy of their national identity card, to the police service email addresses finance.asset@police.gov.mv and am_c2096@police.gov.mv.

The deadline for auction registration is 10:00 am on March 8, 2026. The police stated that no forms received after the registration deadline will be accepted. Furthermore, the announcement noted that the final deadline to submit the form after adding or changing an additional party mentioned in the registration form is also 10:00 am on March 8, 2026.

The auction is scheduled to be held in K. Dhoonidhoo at 10:00 am on March 9, 2026. Only registered parties will be allowed to participate in the auction meeting.

The police service stated that the auction will proceed according to standard auction procedures on the day, and bidding will be conducted verbally in the presence of the attendees. Additionally, proposals to increase the bid price must be made verbally so that attendees can hear, and parties arriving after the scheduled time will not be able to participate in the auction, according to the police service.

The announcement did not specify the exact quantity of sea cucumbers being auctioned. However, the types of sea cucumbers being sold and the starting bid prices were published alongside the announcement. The types of sea cucumbers being sold include Katchala, White Teatfish (Hudhubatu), Black Teatfish (Kalhubatu), and Prickly Redfish (Alanaasi).

The police service stated that the Ministry of Fisheries and Ocean Resources has advised that the sea cucumbers decided for auction are prohibited from being exported from the Maldives.