The Criminal Court has sentenced a Bangladeshi man to life in prison for smuggling drugs into the Maldives by air.

MD Sohab Mia was arrested on June 28, 2024. He was convicted of importing a Schedule 1 drug under the Narcotics Act.

MD Sohab, who arrived in the Maldives on a US Bangla Airlines flight, was detained at Velana International Airport (VIA).

He was arrested on suspicion after checking his laptop bag. The drugs were confirmed to be 535.6632 grams of methamphetamine.

MD Sohab was sentenced to 25 years in prison but will serve 23 years, three months and 25 days in jail. He was also fined MVR 100,000.