Madives | President ratifies bill on capital punishment for drug trafficking

The Amendment will come into force 3 months after its ratification and publication in the Government Gazette.

President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has ratified the Third Amendment to the Drugs Act, following its approval by the 20th Parliament during the 28th sitting of its 3rd session on 3 December 2025.

The Amendment introduces sweeping reforms aimed at strengthening the country’s legal, enforcement, and treatment frameworks in response to evolving drug related challenges.

Under the new changes, a regulatory system will be established to monitor and control newly emerging psychoactive substances, expanding beyond the drugs already listed under existing schedules.

The Amendment also creates new drug-related offences with corresponding penalties and enhances treatment mechanisms for individuals with addiction.

Key reforms include revised operational guidelines for the Drug Court, updates to its treatment programmes, and strengthened powers for law-enforcement agencies to prevent drug-related crimes.

Procedures regarding the seizure and confiscation of assets linked to criminal activity have also been updated.

One of the most significant components of the Amendment is the substantial increase in penalties for drug trafficking.

Attempting to import or export, assisting in such acts, or otherwise taking part in the trafficking of Schedule 1 drugs will now carry 20 years’ imprisonment and fines ranging from MVR 75,000 to MVR 7,500,000.

The Amendment further authorises the death penalty for trafficking Schedule 1 drugs when certain criteria are met. These include cases where an offender brings into the Maldives more than 350g of cannabis, 250g of diamorphine, or 100g of any other Schedule 1 drug, and is found in possession at the point of entry.

Any death sentence may only be executed after a full-bench review by the Supreme Court, requiring unanimous agreement from all justices.

Offences that carry life imprisonment or the death penalty are explicitly excluded from eligibility for clemency or plea agreements, as defined under the Criminal Procedure Code.

Additional provisions criminalize services that facilitate drug use and impose liability on owners, tenants, caretakers, and others responsible for premises that they know or have reason to believe are being used for drug consumption. The financing of drug trafficking is also criminalized.

Moreover, police are empowered to seize and confiscate vehicles and vessels used in trafficking, and to close establishments that enable drug-related activity.

The Amendment will come into force three months after its ratification and publication in the Government Gazette.

Source: edition.mv, Staff, December 6, 2025

"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted."

— Oscar Wilde

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