News Desk
ADDU CITY — A court in Addu City’s Maradhoo-Feydhoo island has ordered the closure of a premises used for drug consumption, in what police say is the first such order issued under drug laws by that court.
The Maradhoo-Feydhoo Court ordered the closure of the premises, known as Ummeeduge, for 90 days. Police said entering the premises during the closure period is a criminal offence, and that anyone who enters without authorisation or causes damage to the premises will face the strictest legal action available.
The order follows a similar move earlier this month by the Hithadhoo Court, which on 8 June ordered the closure of a property known as Laamiyaageage for three months. A person who entered that property in violation of the court order was subsequently arrested.
Courts in islands have now issued multiple closure orders in quick succession. Last month, a premises in Funaadu neighbourhood of Fuvahmulah city, suspected of operating as a cafe while also selling and facilitating drug use, was closed under a separate court order.
The closures signal a more active use of drug law provisions that allow courts to shut down premises associated with drug activity, a tool that had not been widely used through the island court system until recently.
