Property owner sentenced to 10 years over drug activity at Malé residence

The Criminal Court has sentenced the owner of a property used for drug trafficking to 10 years in prison, in what is believed to be the first conviction under a provision that makes it an offence for a property owner to knowingly allow such activity to continue.

The state prosecuted Ibrahim Nazim, the owner of G. Pelican, over allegations that he permitted the property to continue being used for drug-related activity despite being aware of what was taking place there.

According to the prosecution, police had on several occasions received information that drugs could be purchased from the property. Police subsequently searched the premises and arrested individuals found there with drugs.

The prosecution argued that the property was under Nazim’s control and that there were reasonable grounds to believe drug use and trafficking had been taking place there since 2014.

Nazim denied the charge, telling the court that he had rented the premises to two other people and that no such activity had taken place while he was present. He also said he had cooperated with police when officers searched the property.

In his judgment, Judge Misbah Mohamed noted that police had sent Nazim a notice in 2020 directing him to stop drug-related activity at the premises after cases involving drug use at G. Pelican had been referred for prosecution.

The court found that Nazim continued renting out the premises even after receiving that notice.

The judgment also noted that when police searched the property in January, before the present case was filed, the same individuals were found at the apartment.

Judge Misbah concluded that, despite repeated police notices, the tenancy arrangements had been maintained and that Nazim had therefore allowed the alleged criminal activity at the premises to continue.

The offence is set out under Article 127 of the Drugs Act and carries a sentence of 10 years in prison.

The court accordingly convicted Nazim and sentenced him to 10 years in jail.

The ruling marks the first time a court has convicted and sentenced a person for knowingly allowing premises under their control to be used for drug trafficking since the offence was introduced into law.