Legal rulings involve drug trafficking in Maldives and fraud in the US

In the Maldives, Mohamed Faariq, 28, has been sentenced to 25 years in prison by the Sh. Maungoodhoo Magistrate Court for trafficking diamorphine. Under Maldivian law, this term is treated as a life sentence. Faariq was also ordered to pay a fine of MVR 100,000. This marks the third individual to receive a 25-year sentence for heroin trafficking in the last two months, following similar convictions for Abdul Wahhab and Ali Ibrahim.

In the United States, Ahmed Mohamed Artan has been sentenced to 33 months in prison for his role in the Feeding Our Future fraud case. Artan pleaded guilty to wire fraud involving his nonprofit, Stigma-Free International, which was used to claim the service of five million meals through fraudulent food distribution sites and shell companies. Prosecutors estimated the total loss at over $1.6 million. Artan has been ordered to pay more than $660,000 in restitution, and the court approved the sale of a bar and restaurant purchased with fraud proceeds to assist in repayment.