Four Sentenced to Life Imprisonment for Drug Trafficking in Malé
The Criminal Court yesterday handed down life sentences to four individuals, including a woman, found guilty of running a drug trafficking ring in the Maldivian capital.
މަސްތުވާތަކެތީގެ މައްސަލައެއްގައި ހަތަރު މީހަކު 25 އަހަރަށް ޖަލަށްލުމަށް ހުކުމްކޮށްފިhttps://t.co/oZ5t8CgfpO pic.twitter.com/eWKh4adG2C
— Maldives Police (@PoliceMv) October 17, 2024advertisement
The group, arrested in a 2021 police operation, were sentenced to 25-year terms and fined collectively over MVR 4 million.
On 12 January 2021, Maldivian police detained the suspects—Hassan Looth, 45; Hassan Rasheed, 36; Ismail Shareef, 43; and Shaniya Ibrahim, 35—during a counter-narcotics operation in Malé. Intelligence indicated their involvement in large-scale drug trafficking, leading police to conduct multiple raids across properties linked to them, including Ma. Honeysuckle, M. Burehimaage, G. Nee, and Reyali Guesthouse. Authorities seized 54 grams of diamorphine (heroin), 266 grams of cannabis, and over MVR 1.5 million in cash from these locations.
Prosecutors charged the four with trafficking diamorphine after each was found in possession of the drug. According to court records, Looth was apprehended at G. Nee with diamorphine and subsequently led officers to his residence at M. Burehimaage, where large cash amounts totalling MVR 1.5 million were recovered. Unable to account for the money’s origins, Looth admitted to being addicted to heroin since 1998.
Rasheed was detained at Ma. Honeysuckle with diamorphine found in his jeans pocket, while Shareef and Ibrahim were arrested in a room at the Reyali Guesthouse, where dozens of packets of diamorphine and MVR 76,675 in cash were discovered. Shareef also failed to account for an additional MVR 7,800, delivered to him during the raid. Both he and Ibrahim admitted to long-term heroin use.
The prosecution requested that the seized funds be recognised as illegally obtained and remitted to the state. Judge Ismail Shafeeu found all four defendants guilty and ordered the state to recover the MVR 1.5 million seized. The group received fines of MVR 2 million for Looth, MVR 1 million for Rasheed, and MVR 500,000 each for Shareef and Ibrahim, with a one-year deadline for payment.
