The Criminal Court has sentenced a man to 50 years in prison after he was apprehended at the airport attempting to smuggle narcotics strapped to his thighs.
Abdulla Faseeh of Shaviyani Noomara received the lengthy sentence after being found guilty of both cannabis trafficking and diamorphine trafficking. The court handed down a life sentence (25 years) for each charge, along with a total fine of MVR 200,000.
Faseeh was arrested at Velana International Airport on October 7, 2024, while waiting to board a flight to Gaaf Alif Kooddoo. His attempt to conceal the drugs was uncovered when he triggered an alarm during a body scanner check. He confessed to aviation security officers that he was carrying illicit substances.
Aviation security officers testified in court that the drugs were secured to Faseeh’s thighs with duct tape, hidden beneath a pair of shorts worn under his trousers. Each leg had five canisters and a rubber packet taped to it.
According to police, the 10 canisters contained a total of 252.1 grams of cannabis, while the two rubber packets contained 25.5 grams of diamorphine. The quantities of both substances met the legal threshold for trafficking charges.
During the trial, Faseeh’s legal team argued that he was a victim of human trafficking and had been coerced into transporting the drugs. However, the presiding judge ruled that this defence carried no weight, noting that no evidence was presented to support the claim and that the defendant had remained silent during the investigation.
