Bangladeshi man sentenced to life for smuggling drugs into Maldives inside laptop bag

A Bangladeshi man has been sentenced to life imprisonment for smuggling drugs into the Maldives hidden inside a laptop bag.

The Criminal Court delivered the verdict in a case filed by the Prosecutor General’s Office against MD Sohab Mia, who was charged with importing a Schedule I drug into the country.

According to the case documents, Sohab arrived in Malé from Bangladesh in June 2024 on a US‑Bangla Airlines flight. Maldives Customs officers discovered drugs concealed inside his laptop bag during a luggage check at Velana International Airport.

Sohab told the court that the bag had been handed to him by a man named Mohamed Naseer, but he was unable to provide any details to identify the individual. He denied the charges.

Judge Muzammil Nasir ruled that the prosecution had proven the case based on the evidence presented.

Sohab was sentenced to life imprisonment and fined MVR 100,000. After deducting the period he spent in remand, approximately one year and six months, the remaining sentence was set at 23 years, three months and 25 days.