Man who went to collect drugs smuggled inside children’s book to 18 years in prison

Criminal Court has sentenced a man to 18 years in prison following an attempt to collect one kilogram of drugs that had been smuggled into the Maldives concealed inside children’s books.

The defendant, Ali Mufaaviz, Hudhuvilaage, S. Meedhoo, was sentenced to prison in a verdict delivered on Monday.                         

The case dates back to December 20, 2023, when Mufaaviz went to Maldives Post to collect a package registered under another person’s name, from which drugs were discovered concealed within the covers of children’s books.

Mufaaviz was charged with participating in trafficking drugs into the Maldives under Schedule 1 of the Drugs Act.

According to the case report, Mufaaviz denied the charges during the trial, insisting he was unaware of the illegal substances in the package. He stated that he had gone to the post office to complete a delivery request received through a Facebook page he operates.

However, the court noted that although Mufaaviz claimed he was acting as a delivery agent for another individual, he was unable to identify the person who had allegedly requested the service. Despite this, the supposed individual had contacted him by phone 17 times.

In its ruling, the Criminal Court sentenced Mufaaviz to 18 years in prison and imposed a fine of MVR 75,000. After deducting the time he spent in custody during the investigation, his remaining sentence amounts to 15 years, 9 months, and 27 days.

In recent years, the Maldives has experienced an increase in attempts to smuggle narcotics through postal services and air travel. In similar cases, individuals caught while trying to collect such shipments have previously been handed life sentences.