A man has been remanded after being arrested under drug possession and peddling accusations.
Maldives Police Service (MPS) revealed that Yoosuf Mazin, 35 and native to Naifaru island of Lhaviyani atoll, was arrested under allegations of possessing and trafficking narcotics.
Upon being presented to the Criminal Court for his remand hearing, the suspect was jailed for a 30-day period. He is being remanded at a custodial prison.
The order issued by the Criminal Court states that sufficient evidence has been presented to raise serious suspicion against him.
Further, it highlights that drugs were found in the location he was at, and the weight of the substances reaches the trafficking threshold.
The court order goes on to read that the substances were deemed to have been in his constructive possession.
The court cited the safety and security of the community as a reason for the need for his remand, under the Criminal Procedure Act.
In addition to this, the Criminal Court stated that the case involves suspicion of drug trafficking, and the place where the drugs were found is believed to be a location used for storing, packaging, and selling drugs in an organized manner involving other parties.
Equipment used for weighing and packaging drugs were also found at the location.
The court states there is room to believe that the house is used for large-scale drug trafficking operations.
The order also states that based on the evidence presented by the police, it is believed that the suspect is also involved in these activities.