Canadian receives life sentence for cannabis trafficking

A Canadian who was arrested in 2019 while on vacation in Maalhos Island of Baa Atoll has been sentenced to life for trafficking cannabis into the Maldives.

Scott William Armstrong was arrested from his room at a beachside hotel in Maalhos on July 21, 2019, following a report he was selling drugs from there.

The police claimed that during a search of the room, which took place in his presence, Armstrong said he would cooperate with the police and surrendered two bullets of cannabis weighing 26.76 grams kept in a container in the room’s minibar. The police also found another bullet of cannabis weighing 0.12 grams which was kept in a container inside his luggage.

He was charged with cannabis trafficking under Article 108 and Article 138 of the Drug Act. According to the law, if cannabis weighing over 14 grams is found from a drug addict, it will be considered as intent to sell.

During his trial at the Criminal Court, Armstrong pled not guilty and said the drugs did not belong to him.

He argued that the drugs weren’t found on his person or anywhere else that he had sole control over, but from his hotel room, which he said was accessible to others, including the hotel’s staff.

Meanwhile, the prosecution argued that he had been staying alone in the room, that the door to the room had been locked when the police arrived, and that it had been he himself who showed the police where the drugs were hidden.

The prosecution also submitted lab reports which showed Armstrong had tested positive for cannabis.

The court issued its ruling on Thursday. It found Armstrong guilty beyond reasonable doubt, based on the evidence submitted by the prosecution.

He was issued a life sentence of 25 years and ordered to pay a penalty of MVR 100,000 within one year.

But the five months and nine days he spent in detention was considered as time served. He therefore has 24 years, six months and 21 days left in his sentence.