Drug peddler faces hefty sentence with MVR 50,000 fine

Criminal Court has sentenced a drug peddler with 11 years in jail along with an MVR 50,000 fine.

The convict, Mohamed Faisal, was found guilty of possessing illegal narcotics which he had stored inside a cooking stove at their residence.

Faisal was charged with possession and sale of drugs after he along with a Bangladeshi national were apprehended by the police in 2017.

After authorities stopped and frisked the two, they discovered 49.16 grams of diamorphine stored within 100 rubber packets, stacked inside a silicone bottle.

Upon raiding Faisal's apartment, authorities discovered another 955.02 grams of diamorphine stored inside 19 micro plastic bags. The bags were stored in the left side of the cooking stove at his apartment.

Another five bags of same size containing a total of 247.85 grams of diamorphine were discovered from the right side of the stove as well.

Authorities also discovered another two bags containing 35.43 grams of morphine inside the apartment.

The court found reasonable cause to believe that Faisal was a drug peddler, in possession of, and selling them. The court in its order, also said the Bangladesh national, Kiam Uddin was Faisal's associate in peddling the narcotic substances to potential buyers.

The court demanded Faisal pay the fine within the next 12 months from the date of the verdict.

Although Faisal was sentenced to 11 years and six months in jail, the duration of his remand, five years, six months, and one day would be deducted from his prison term.