Four arrested with party drugs after two youth deaths in Hulhumale
A 22-year-old man and an 18-year-old woman died in Hulhumalé, Maldives, on 28 September 2017, and police arrested four people after finding party drugs in raids. The criminal court remanded the suspects for 15 days on 12 charges that included cannabis and heroin offences plus attempted and assisted-suicide offences.
Maldives police arrested four suspects in connection with the sudden and
unexplained deaths of a 22-year-old man and an 18-year-old woman in Hulhumalé.[1]Ahmed Haameen, a 22-year-old man from Thimarafushi in Thaa atoll, and
Fathmath Sama, an 18-year-old woman from Malé, were pronounced dead on arrival
at the Hulhumalé hospital around 8:30 pm on Thursday night.[1]Superintendent
Ahmed Shifan, the police spokesman, said the two deaths were related.[1]Police said they had raided several places in Hulhumalé and found party drugs at
one place, and that a serious investigation was ongoing because of suspicious
links to drugs.[1]
The four suspects, three men and a woman, were arrested late Thursday night and
the criminal court on Friday ordered their detention for 15 days.[1]At the
remand hearing, police raised 12 charges against the suspects, including the
trafficking, peddling, dealing and use of cannabis and diamorphine (heroin), as
well as attempted suicide and forcing, encouraging and assisting suicide.[1]Local media reported that the deaths occurred while a group of friends were at
the Hulhumalé beach after renting a guesthouse room for a birthday party later
that night.[1]
Photos and video
Maldives Independent lead photo captioned 'Four arrested with party drugs after death of two youth', showing the two youth whose deaths triggered the investigation, without a credit or location detail.Photo details
The exact day of the deaths is not stated; the article says Thursday night before its 30 September 2017 publication, and 28 September 2017 is used as the incident date.
No weight or quantity of party drugs, cannabis or heroin was reported.
The identities and charges of the four arrested suspects were not reported.
The forensic outcome and the cause of death were not reported.
No court outcome after the 15-day detention was reported.
Customs found 3,345 grams of cannabis in the luggage of two Indian nationals arriving at Gan International Airport on 22 September 2026; police then arrested the pair plus a Maldivian recipient in a controlled delivery. Three suspects were held for smuggling more than three kilogrammes of drugs.
Police said 1,141 drug operations between 1 January and 31 July 2026 seized more than 144 kg of drugs and 1,856 bottles of alcohol, and led to 1,875 arrests. They searched 23,249 people and more than 7,300 places, opened 1,533 cases and sent 634 to the Prosecutor General; 116 foreign nationals were handed to Immigration for deportation. The figures covered all drugs and did not separate cannabis.
Maldives authorities arrested 30-year-old Indian national Suraj Karwar after finding two packets that tested positive for THC hidden in tennis shoes in his luggage. The Criminal Court ordered him held for five days to allow him to seek a state defence lawyer.
Maldives police and customs arrested a 21-year-old Bangladeshi man at Velana International Airport with 31 packets of cannabis on 12 January 2019 and a second 21-year-old at a home in Malé with 26 more packets. The Criminal Court remanded both to 15 days in police custody.
