Maldives Immigration detained five expatriate workers during a series of raids on coffeeshops in Male’ City on Saturday.

The operation, conducted by a dedicated taskforce, forms part of an ongoing initiative to address irregular migration in the country.

Officials from Maldives Immigration reported that six coffeeshops were inspected as part of Saturday’s operation, resulting in the detention of five individuals found to be residing in the country without proper documentation.

The crackdown on irregular migration, which was launched last year, has already led to the deportation of over 5,000 expatriates.

The department had initially set a target of deporting 5,000 irregular migrants within a year, a milestone that was achieved in November.

These operations have also targeted areas such as the Farmer’s Market and parts of Hulhumale’.