The criminal court has sentenced a Sri Lankan man to life imprisonment for smuggling one kilogram of cannabis.

Mohamed Nasmin Mohamed Mubeen was apprehended on January 12th 2017. He has been convicted of smuggling "schedule one" drugs under the Maldives Penal Code.

He had arrived in the Maldives on a China Eastern flight from Colombo. Upon searching his luggage, a plastic bottle containing 812.6 grams of cannabis was found inside his luggage. An additional 198.1 grams of cannabis was found in another can.

According to the criminal court's sentencing, the conviction was based on police testimony and other evidence, which proved the charge beyond doubt. In addition to life imprisonment, a fine of MVR 100,000 has been levied as per the Maldives Drug Act, to be paid to Maldives Inland Revenue Authority (MIRA) within six months.