Shaheeb Ibrahim, Gaafu Alifu Villingili, a prime suspect in the 2020 Hulhumalé Bay drug-trafficking case, has turned himself in to the police.

Authorities had issued a wanted notice for Shaheeb on 13 September after he failed to appear for multiple Criminal Court hearings. A second alert was released earlier this week, backed by a court order requiring that he be produced in court on 23 September at 18:00.

Police confirmed that Shaheeb surrendered at a local station on Thursday evening.

The case stems from 12 October 2020, when officers intercepted a fishing vessel in Hulhumalé Bay and seized 130 kilograms of narcotics, arresting seven suspects, including a 16-year-old. Shaheeb and Ahmed Moosa of Violetvilla, HA. Hoarafushi were identified as alleged ringleaders.

Both men were initially held in custody, but the Criminal Court released them on 6 April 2022 after the state failed to provide adequate medical care, imposing a two-month conditional release.

The 2020 operation remains one of the Maldives’ largest drug seizures on record, and court proceedings continue.