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130kg drug case: minor acquitted at High Court

Malika Shahid
27 July 2022, MVT 16:21
(FILE) Tape used to close off crime scenes: minor accused of drug trafficking was found not guilty in April 2022 —
Malika Shahid
27 July 2022, MVT 16:21

The state has appealed the acquittal of the minor found charged with smuggling 130kg of drugs into the Maldives by sea.

Five people, including a 16 year old minor, were charged by the state in connection to the drugs smuggled through a fishing vessel in October 2020. The minor was accused of loading drugs onto the vessel and taking part in transporting them to Hulhumale'.

In April 2022, the Juvenile Court found the minor not guilty of both charges of trafficking diamorphine and drug trafficking. This is the first case of a minor being charged with a major drug case.

The state appealed the case to the High Court on July 25. However, the court is yet to decide whether to accept the case.

The Juvenile Court ruled that the state could not prove that the minor was aware of the drugs aboard the vessel according to witness statements. The drugs were discovered inside sacks found on the vessel by the police.

The state charged a council member of People's National Congress (PNC), Shaheeb Ibrahim and Ahmed Moosa. Their case is still underway at the Criminal Court.

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