Man gets 18-year prison sentence over drugs found in bag he collected at ‘a friend’s request’

The Criminal Court last week sentenced a native of HDh. Kumundhoo to 18 years in prison over two kilos of heroin found in a luggage bag that he claimed he collected at a friend’s request.

The luggage bag in question was brought to Maldives by a Pakistani national who flew into the country on an Etihad Airways flight in July last year.

Customs flagged the luggage for drugs, and a subsequent controlled delivery operation carried out by the police led to the arrest of two Maldivian men - Ahmed Affan of HDh. Kumundhoo and Shahil Mohamed of K. Vilimale’.

They were both charged as accomplices in trafficking drugs into the country.

Affan was sentenced last week, while Shahil remains on trial.

The Pakistani national who smuggled the drugs into the country took a taxi to a hotel in Male’ City, where Affan was waiting nearby.

Affan handed the Pakistani national an MVR 50 note before collecting the luggage bag from him – a note that they had agreed would be used to identify the person who went to collect the bag.

The police told the court that they had both been in communication via WhatsApp under their watch throughout.

The police arrested Affan as soon as he collected the bag, and found over two kilos of diamorphine or heroin inside it.

During trial, Affan admitted to collecting the luggage bag, but said claimed he wasn’t aware it contained drugs.

He said he went to collect the bag at the request of a friend called “Mazin”.

However, it was not a “Mazin”, but his co-defendant Shahil who collected the bag from him.

The prosecution stated that Affan had not explained who “Mazin” was at any stage of the investigation.

Affan also did not present any evidence in his defense.

Criminal Court Judge Ismail Shafeeu found him guilty of the charge, and sentenced him to 18 years in prison and a fine of MVR 75,000.