50-year prison sentence for possession of 200g drugs

The Criminal Court has sentenced Yoosuf Riza to 50 years in prison and fined him MVR 200,000 for offences related to drug trafficking.

Yoosuf Riza was charged with trafficking in cannabis and trafficking in drugs. According to the prosecution, he was arrested on 7 May 2024 on charges of possession, use and trafficking of drugs.

The charges stated that 200 grams of drugs were found hidden on the ceiling of an apartment in H. Snowlily, as well as on a table and inside a cupboard.

During the trial, Yoosuf Riza denied the charges. He told the court that he had gone to the house with the permission of friends to spend time there. He admitted to using cannabis but said he was not aware that such a quantity of cannabis was kept at the location. He also denied having control over the drugs.

However, the Criminal Court ruled that valuables belonging to Yoosuf Riza and a digital scale were found inside the house, and that he had admitted ownership of those items. The court noted that it was not reasonable for such items to be present in a location over which he claimed to have no control. Based on this, the court concluded that Yoosuf Riza had full control of the premises.

The court sentenced him to two separate prison terms of 25 years each for cannabis trafficking and drug trafficking, amounting to a total of 50 years in prison. He was also fined MVR 200,000, with the court ordering that the fine be paid within one year.