The Criminal Court has sentenced four individuals to life imprisonment for operating a drug trafficking network in Male’.

The convicted include Hassan Looth, 45, from Rangal, GDh. Thinadhoo, Hassan Rasheed, 36, from Hulhumale’ Flat 45-G-1, Ismail Shareef, 43, from White Rose, Th. Thimarafushi, and Shaniya Ibrahim, 35, from Ma. Haslath, K. Male’.

Each was sentenced to 25 years in prison and fined on October 16th.

Looth received a fine of MVR 2 million, while Rasheed was fined MVR 1 million.

Shareef and Shaniya were each fined MVR 500,000.

The four were also charged with trafficking diamorphine and money laundering.

Their arrests on January 12, 2021, followed a police tip-off indicating their involvement in smuggling, using, possessing, and trafficking drugs in the Maldives.

Looth was apprehended at G. Nee in Male’, where police seized 33.196 grams of diamorphine and MVR 1,466,000 from his room. 

Hassan Rasheed was arrested at Ma. Honeysuckle, with 14.6735 grams of diamorphine found in his left pocket.

Shareef and Shaniya were arrested at the "Reyali" guesthouse in M. Reyalivaage, where police discovered 6.5882 grams of diamorphine and MVR 76,675 in room 402.

The court ruled that the MVR 1.4 million found in Looth’s room and the MVR 76,675 from the guesthouse were proceeds of crime, as none of the accused could explain the source of the funds.

The money was ordered to be recovered by the Government.

This case was submitted to the Prosecutor General’s Office on March 10, 2021, following the completion of a Police investigation.