Supreme Court quashes order to have alleged drug kingpin Arshad taken to court under police custody

The Supreme Court has annulled a court order issued to have an alleged drug kingpin presented before the High Court under police custody.

Arshad Khalid, 26, Allora, GDh. Hoadedhdhoo, had been arrested in January 2020 in a counter-drug operation which saw police raid ten properties in Male’ City, and seize nine kilos of heroin and four grams of cocaine, along with MVR 4.6 million in drug money.

Eight people were charged in the case. However, only two of them were convicted, and the other six, including Arshad, were acquitted. The ruling has been appealed with the High Court.

After his acquittal, Arshad was later implicated in a major counter-drug operation in December 2021 in which the police seized 119 kilos of heroin. In a statement after the raid, police identified Arshad as the leader of the drug trafficking ring.

However, he had fled Maldives before the police made the bust.

The High Court issued an order to have him presented before the court under police custody on October 12.

Police arrested him upon return to Maldives on October 10. Bust he was released before he was due in court. He presented himself to the High Court. The court ordered his release, citing he presented himself to court and not under police custody.

Arshad appealed the court order to have him presented before the court under police custody, while the state appealed the decision by the High Court to release him.

The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Arshad in both petitions on Sunday.

The bench, composed of justices Mahaz Ali Zahir, Husnu Al-Suood, and Dr. Azmiralda Zahir, decided to annul the High Court’s order to have Arshad presented before the court under police custody.

Arshad has been banned from traveling overseas, and from traveling domestically without permission from the High Court.