High Court accepts Shaheeb’s appeal of life sentence

High Court has accepted an appeal filed by former People’s National Congress (PNC) activist Shaheeb Ibrahim against his life sentence in one of the Maldives’ largest drug trafficking cases in recent times.

Shaheeb was sentenced in September 2025 after the Criminal Court found him guilty of trafficking 130 kilograms of drugs seized from a fishing boat in Hulhumalé in October 2020. He was convicted on two counts—trafficking a Schedule I drug and trafficking dimorphine—and received two concurrent 25-year sentences along with a MVR 10 million fine, the highest ever under the Narcotics Act.

Police identified Shaheeb and Ahmed Moosa (Violet Villa, HA. Hoarafushi) as the ringleaders of the operation. Other defendants—Aseel Mahir (Dhunfinige, GA. Villingili), Anas Hussain (Cell, Lh. Hinnavaru), and Bangladeshi nationals Mohamed Riyad and Iqbal—were also convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.

Shaheeb initially fled before his sentencing. His wife was arrested on suspicion of aiding his evasion, prompting him to surrender to authorities; she was later released, though investigations into her alleged involvement are ongoing.

During former President Abdulla Yameen’s administration, Shaheeb worked as a coordinator at the Housing Ministry when current President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu served as Housing Minister. He also ran as an independent candidate in the 2019 parliamentary elections. Following his arrest, he was suspended and removed from the PNC council.

The High Court appeal will decide whether the Criminal Court’s verdict and sentence are upheld. The case remains one of the largest drug busts in Maldivian history, involving the seizure of over 127 kilos of narcotics.