On Monday, the Criminal Court ordered that the Pakistani man connected to the large-scale drug smuggling into the Maldives last February remain in custody until his trial concludes. 

In February, Maldives Customs confiscated 36.4 kilograms of hashish oil from the Male' Commercial Harbour, a seizure valued at over MVR 29 million on the street.

The suspect, Zafar Ahmed, was detained in early June under a court warrant. After appearing before the Criminal Court, he was remanded in custody pending trial.

According to the remand order, Zafar Ahmed is a Pakistani national living in the Maldives and is believed by authorities to be the “person in charge” of the trafficking operation. Police have not disclosed additional details about his arrest.

Two other Maldivian suspects involved in the investigation have already been detained: Visham Mohamed, 35, from Male', and Hassan Mafaz, 26, from M. Mulah. Both were apprehended in February and remain in custody.

Under Maldivian law, smuggling 36 kilograms of drugs is classified as a high‑severity trafficking offense. Such a quantity is automatically regarded as intended for commercial distribution.

Drug smuggling by a foreign national is fully punishable under the Maldivian Narcotics Act, with foreigners facing the same penalties as locals.

Convictions for drug trafficking can result in life imprisonment (which is defined as 25 years in the Maldives) and fines ranging from MVR 100,000 to MVR 10 million.

Due to the gravity of the offense, suspects in such cases are generally kept in custody pending trial, as they are considered a threat to public safety under the Criminal Procedure Act.