6 Indians released from drug trafficking case in Maldives

Six Indian nationals arrested in March on suspicion of attempting to traffic over 7 kilograms of drugs into the Maldives have been released, following a decision by the High Court to dismiss the prosecution's appeal.

The Criminal Court had ordered their release on 21 May. The prosecution subsequently appealed the decision on 15 June. However, the High Court dismissed the appeal Sunday after the prosecution requested to withdraw it.

According to court records, the case was withdrawn on the grounds that the Prosecutor General’s Office had decided not to pursue charges due to insufficient evidence.

The individuals released from custody are:

None of the six were formally charged. When their remand was extended in May, Criminal Court Judge Ismail Shafiu noted that while the drugs discovered aboard a vessel were believed to be intended for trafficking, there was concern about the suspects fleeing due to their foreign nationality. However, Judge Hussain Faiz Rashad later granted conditional bail, stating that there was no evidence directly linking them to the alleged crime.

The individuals were among 10 foreign nationals arrested on 21 March during a joint operation carried out by the Maldives Police Service, Maldives National Defence Force, and Maldives Customs Service. The operation resulted in the seizure of over 7 kilograms of suspected drugs.

Of those arrested, seven were Indian and three were Indonesian nationals. The remaining four individuals still in custody are:

These four individuals are being held pending further investigation.