Is Cocaine legal in Maldives?
- Legal status
- Controlled under the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025) — trafficking a Schedule 1 drug carries a mandatory 20-year base term, elevated to capital punishment where the quantity exceeds 350 g cannabis / 250 g diamorphine / 100 g of any other Schedule 1 drug AND brought in at the point of entry (capital punishment requires the unanimous full Supreme Court bench, else life imprisonment); possession of a Schedule 2 drug without a prescription 3–15 years + fine; death penalty retained de jure since December 2025 under a long-standing execution moratorium since 1954
- Consequences if caught
- Cocaine is controlled in Maldives under the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011, as amended by the Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025). In Maldives, drugs fall under the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011), as amended by the Third Amendment ratified on 6 December 2025. Trafficking a Schedule 1 drug carries a mandatory 20-year base term; the sentence is elevated to capital punishment where the quantity exceeds 350 g of cannabis, 250 g of diamorphine, or 100 g of any other Schedule 1 drug AND the person brings it into the country at the point of entry. Capital punishment requires the unanimous agreement of the full Supreme Court bench, failing which the sentence is life imprisonment; the death penalty is retained de jure since December 2025, but a long-standing moratorium on executions has been in place since 1954. Possession of a Schedule 2 drug without a prescription carries 3–15 years plus a fine.
- If prescribed or medical
- Not a prescribed traveller medicine in this form.
- Documentation
- In Maldives, drugs fall under the Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011), as amended by the Third Amendment ratified on 6 December 2025. Trafficking a Schedule 1 drug carries a mandatory 20-year base term; the sentence is elevated to capital punishment where the quantity exceeds 350 g of cannabis, 250 g of diamorphine, or 100 g of any other Schedule 1 drug AND the person brings it into the country at the point of entry. Capital punishment requires the unanimous agreement of the full Supreme Court bench, failing which the sentence is life imprisonment; the death penalty is retained de jure since December 2025, but a long-standing moratorium on executions has been in place since 1954. Possession of a Schedule 2 drug without a prescription carries 3–15 years plus a fine. Cannabis is a Schedule 1 drug; trafficking above 350 g brought in at the point of entry is capital-eligible (subject to the unanimous Supreme Court requirement and the 1954 execution moratorium), and lower amounts carry the mandatory 20-year base term. Carry any controlled medicine with its prescription and confirm requirements with your embassy before travel.
- Drugs Act (Act No. 17/2011), Third Amendment ratified 6 December 2025
- presidency.gov.mv
Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with Maldives’s embassy or official drug authority before traveling; penalties can be severe, including imprisonment.
Before you travel
Verify current rules with the destination country’s official drug authority and your own country’s embassy before traveling. Find the destination’s U.S. embassy & official country guidance →
Non-U.S. travelers: check your own government’s travel advisory and embassy.
If you’re detained or arrested abroad
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