The Criminal Court has sentenced a man to life imprisonment and fined him MVR 2 million for importing drugs into the Maldives.

Ismail Naufal of H. Samoa was convicted of importing a Schedule 1 drug into the country.

On December 18, 2023, when Naufal and his wife Mariyam Saya Ibrahim Shihab arrived in the Maldives from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on an Air Asia flight, he was flagged by the Maldives Customs Service's Intelligence Section.

Consequently, the couple was stopped for further inspection, and upon examining Naufal's luggage, two packages wrapped in carbon paper were found in the zipper of one suitcase. Analysis of one package revealed the presence of methamphetamine residue.

However, Naufal denied the charges.

In his initial statement, Naufal claimed that the luggage containing the drugs was not related to him and was not under his custody. He stated that he had no knowledge or intention regarding the substances and denied the essence of the charges.

Nevertheless, the Customs photo report shows that the booking number on Naufal's boarding pass matches the number on the luggage tag where the drugs were found. Additionally, CCTV footage from the arrival terminal shows Naufal exiting with the trolley carrying the luggage in question.

Based on this report and the presented evidence, the Criminal Court found Naufal guilty of importing a Schedule 1 drug into the country.

Consequently, the court sentenced Naufal to life imprisonment and fined him MVR 2 million, ordering him to pay the fine to the Maldives Inland Revenue Authority within 12 months. After deducting the time already spent in custody, the court determined that Naufal's effective prison term would be 23 years, 2 months, and 23 days.