The 56-year-old Indian woman who smuggled five kilograms of drugs into the Maldives via Ethiopia has been granted 15 more days in custody by the Criminal Court.
Lalthulanfari who was arrested on April 12 at the Velana International Airport was initially remanded in custody for three days, during which she was produced in court without an interpreter. However, she was given the opportunity to have a translator for her defense during the trial.
Judge Safath Habeeb extended the woman's remand for 15 days after she was produced in court with an interpreter. According to the court order, the drugs hidden in her luggage had tested positive for cocaine.
Last week, a Pakistani national was also apprehended by Maldives Customs Service with around 5kg of drugs, estimated at a street value of MVR 6 million (over USD 390,000).
Authorities have noted that the elderly and those with serious illnesses are commonly used to smuggle drugs into the Maldives by air. To avoid the high expenses of taking care of such people in police custody, the Maldives Immigration has introduced a regulation that allows the Immigration Controller the power to deport foreigners who smuggle drugs into the country without prosecution.
However, deportation is carried out only if there is substantial information that the Maldives is being used as a transit destination to smuggle drugs to another country. If a person brings drugs directly into the Maldives, they will be arrested and will face prosecution after necessary investigations.
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