The Criminal Court of the Maldives has sentenced a Bangladeshi national to life imprisonment after finding him guilty of attempting to smuggle a significant quantity of narcotics into the country.

The conviction followed an investigation by the Maldives Police Service, which led to formal charges against 36 year old MD Sohab Mia under the country’s drug trafficking laws.

According to case details, the incident occurred on June 28, 2024, when Mia arrived in the Maldives via a flight operated by US-Bangla Airlines at Velana International Airport.

During routine screening procedures, customs officers detected suspicious items in Mia’s luggage through an X-ray scan.

A subsequent manual inspection revealed a concealed packet inside a laptop bag he was carrying.

Laboratory analysis by the forensic team later confirmed that the seized material was methamphetamine weighing 535.6632 grams.

Investigators gathered multiple forms of evidence during the inquiry, including forensic reports confirming the nature of the narcotics as well as testimonies from officers involved in the search and seizure operation.

Based on the findings, the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Maldives filed charges against Mia for importing prohibited drugs into the Maldives in violation of the Maldivian Drug Act.

Following the trial proceedings, the Criminal Court found the defendant guilty of the offense.

Under the provisions of the Drug Act, the court imposed a life sentence, which after deducting time already spent in pre-trial detention amounts to 23 years, three months and 25 days of imprisonment.

In addition to the custodial sentence, the court also ordered the defendant to pay a fine of MVR 100,000.