Sri Lankan handed life imprisonment for drug trafficking in Maldives

A Sri Lankan national has been sentenced to life imprisonment for cannabis trafficking in the Maldives, foreign media reported.

The Criminal Court on Sunday handed the life imprisonment sentence to a man named Ranasinghe Tissa Hewa, Maldivian news website Avas reports. 

The presiding judge, Sofwath Habeeb, ruled that Ranasinghe was guilty of trafficking in cannabis beyond reasonable doubt as stipulated in Article 51(a) of the Constitution.

Ranasinghe was sentenced to life imprisonment and a fine of MVR 100,000 (LKR 2,334,000) under the Narcotics Act. While Ranasinghe has already spent two years, seven months, and 17 days in jail while awaiting the outcome of the trial, the period was deducted from his sentence. He will now serve 22 years, four months, and 13 days in jail.

The court said the fine must be paid to the Maldives Inland Revenue Authority (MIRA) within 12 months, the report said.

In addition to the trafficking conviction, Ranasinghe was also found guilty of using cannabis and sentenced to three years in prison.

--Agencies