Mother of three released after arrest in drug raid on boyfriend’s apartment

The Criminal Court on Saturday ordered the release of a young mother who was arrested in a drug raid in September during which the police seized over 300 pills of controlled drugs.

The 32-year-old woman was among four people arrested on September 23 in raids on two apartments in Hulhumale’. According to the police, they seized 24.06 grams of suspected narcotics, 363 pills of a controlled drug weighing 37.6 grams, and over MVR 4,500 in cash believed to be proceeds from the sale of drugs in the operation.

The police had released the photos and identities of the woman and the other three arrestees – a 26-year-old Maldivian man and two Bangladeshi males aged 40 and 50 – two days after their arrest.

The woman was brought before the Criminal Court on Saturday after her initial 10-day remand period expired.

The court granted her conditional release citing weak evidence of her involvement in the drug case.

The court documents show the drugs were found not from her own residence, but from an apartment rented by her boyfriend, who also claimed ownership of the drugs found there.

No drugs were found from her own residence.

The court also took note of her clean record, and the fact that she looks after her three children and sickly mother in granting her release.

The other three suspects arrested in the case were remanded for an initial 15 days, which has yet to expire.