A man from Pakistan has been apprehended related to a significant drug-smuggling scheme tied to a consignment that reached the Maldives last February.

In February, authorities confiscated 36.4 kg of hashish oil at the Male' Commercial Harbour, with a street value surpassing MVR 29 million.

As per the remand order from the Criminal Court released on Sunday, the apprehension of Pakistani citizen Zafar Ahmed is associated with the seizure of 36 kg of drugs from a consignment that arrived on February 10. The order indicates that he resides in the Maldives and was detained under a judicial warrant.

Zafar Ahmed appeared before the Criminal Court and was ordered to be held in custody for 15 days. Authorities have not provided information regarding the arrest, yet the warrant indicates that detectives consider him the “individual in charge” in the matter.

Earlier in the investigation, two Maldivians were arrested: 35-year-old Visham Mohamed from Male' and 26-year-old Hassan Mafaz from M. Mulah. Both were detained in February and continue to be held.

Transporting 36 kilograms of narcotics is deemed a very grave crime under Maldivian legislation. Such an amount is automatically regarded as drug trafficking, signifying importation for commercial sale.

Drug trafficking by a foreign citizen is heavily penalized under the Narcotics Act. Foreign individuals who bring drugs into the Maldives are completely governed by local law. A drug trafficking conviction results in life imprisonment, which is considered to be 25 years in the Maldives, along with a fine between MVR 100,000 and MVR 10 million.

In situations of this seriousness, individuals suspected of a crime are usually held in custody awaiting trial, as they are regarded as a risk to public safety under the Criminal Procedure Act.