Bangladeshi national sentenced to 14 years, four months in drug trafficking case

The Criminal Court has sentenced a Bangladeshi national, Hanif, to 14 years, four months and 12 days in prison after he was convicted of trafficking a controlled drug listed in the drug schedule. The court also fined him MVR 100,000. The case concerned Hanif and others allegedly involved in possessing and trafficking drugs and attempting to carry out a drug trafficking transaction in the Greater Male' region, according to information received by the Maldives Police Service's Counter Narcotics Intelligence. Police conducted an operation based on that information and arrested him. On the day of the operation, police were active in the area. As Hanif was walking in Male', he went to the corner of Kuredi Goalhi and placed a blue plastic bag under the seat of a parked motorcycle. After placing the bag and walking away, police stopped him and took him into custody. When police searched under the motorcycle seat, they found two rubber packets inside the plastic bag, and an analysis report showed they contained methamphetamine. During police questioning, Hanif said the items had been taken from the hold of the 'Avikatha' launch, which was moored near the 'Vinova' launch where he works, and that more drugs were in the hold of that launch, police said. Under a court order and in his presence, police searched the launch. From three plastic bags taken from a box in the front hold of the launch, they found four rubber packets. When they searched the 'Vinova' launch, they also found empty juice packet bags and two digital scales. The state charged Hanif with trafficking a controlled drug listed in the drug schedule, and he entered a plea agreement with the Prosecutor General's Office. Based on his own confession, the court determined the charge was proven and sentenced him to 14 years, four months and 12 days in prison and fined him MVR 100,000. The court also ordered him to pay the MVR 100,000 fine to the Maldives Inland Revenue Authority within 12 months.