Two minors sentenced to 16 years in prison in drug case

The Juvenile Court has sentenced a girl who brought drugs into the country and a boy who assisted her, to 16 years and 8 months in prison.

The Court found the boy guilty of assisting to bring drugs into the country and possession of drugs with intent to sell.

The charges pressed by the State against the girl state that she, with another woman, travelled to Male' from Trivandrum on Indian Airlines on 30 November 2009. Checks conducted by Customs at the airport revealed that she was carrying 1.5kg drugs concealed in in her body and in two new bed sheets in her suitcase. The drugs in her body were discovered when she herself told Customs officers about them.

The Juvenile Court ruling details that she pleaded not guilty to the charges pressed by the State, but provided a statement in Court that the incident in question did take place. Following her statement the State felt no need to present further evidence.

Juvenile Court also said in its ruling that the Supreme Court decided in 2008 that possession of drugs is an offence for which individuals will be held directly responsible.

The drugs found in her suitcase and in her body were identified in the investigation report as tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabinol. Based on the statement provided by the girl in Court and other evidence presented in Court, she was found guilty of the crime.

An official of Juvenile Court said today that despite the fact that the new Drug Act came into effect while this case was in progress, both minors were convicted under the old law on drugs, as article 59 of the Constitution stipulates that no person shall be given a more severe penalty than the one applicable at the time the crime was committed.

The Court's ruling on the boy states that he met with the two women at a guest house in Male' and was handed over the sheets in which the drugs were concealed. Testimonies had been collected that the boy had said that he was told by the girl that the sheets were to the thrown away. Also, three Police officers had testified that a bag containing drugs was found next to the boy after he was arrested.

The boy had said in Court that he went to the guest house to save someone who had been kidnapped, and that he accepted the bag given to him by a girl at the guest house because he thought it was a birthday present for him.

The Juvenile Court ruling states that his actions as he went to the guest house and after he got there, do not match his version of the story.

Investigation reports revealed that one of the sheets found in the possession of the boy had 421.3145g tetrahydrocannabinol and 94.5593g cannabinol concealed in it, while a piece of stiff paper found in another sheet had 371.6961g tetrahydrocannabinol and 87.1478g cannabinol concealed in it.