Man receives life sentence over drugs found in discarded cigarette pack

The Criminal Court has issued the life sentence to a man after the police found diamorphine or heroin inside a cigarette pack that he threw away during a traffic stop.

Hassan Sifah, Ma. City Villa, K. Male’, was charged with trafficking diamorphine over the incident.

The police found 9.3124 grams of diamorphine inside the cigarette pack he threw away. However, Sifah denied the charge against him, claiming that he did not have anything to do with the cigarette pack.

The incident took place on February 7, 2022.

That night, the police pulled over a motorcycle near the Male’ Water and Sewerage Company (MWSC) building in Male’ as the vehicle was missing a rearview mirror. The police testified that Sifah, who was in the backseat of the motorcycle, threw away a cigarette pack in his possession and ran away.

The police checked the discarded pack and found 95 packets of diamorphine, weighing 9.3124 grams.

On Tuesday, the Criminal Court found Sifah guilty of trafficking diamorphine and issued a life sentence of 25 years in prison. He was also fined by MVR 100,000 and told to settle the payment within 12 months.

Given the time he has already spent in detention, he was 24 years and 11 months left to serve.