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ROOMS fitted with the latest equipment to cultivate marijuana plants were allegedly found at an American salesman’s home, a court heard.
The information was provided by a detective in the case of 17 people, including two expatriate women, who are standing trial at the High Criminal Court in connection with smuggling, selling and using cocaine and marijuana.
The 56-year-old American is accused of growing and selling marijuana at his property, according to court documents.
He previously told a leading judge that he signed confession papers under duress.
However, a prosecution witness, testifying in court, said that they found rooms equipped with devices to grow the illegal plant at his home.
“We found multiple rooms which were being used to grow marijuana plants,” the 36-year-old told a leading judge.
“We confiscated several plants; he used his home to grow and sell cannabis.
“Special lighting and appropriate room temperatures were used in a professional way to grow the plant.”
The trial has been adjourned until Tuesday for more prosecution witnesses to take to the stand.
Prosecutors previously said that the drug trafficking gang smuggled drugs to sell to wealthy teenagers.
Defence lawyer Ghaleb Al Shuraiti, representing a 37-year-old American supervisor also accused of growing and selling marijuana, said that his client was using marijuana for medicinal purposes.
He requested him to be evaluated by a medical team after claiming his client suffers from back pain.
However, a leading judge is yet to respond to his request.
The defendants, featuring some high-profile expatriate business people and personalities, whose ages range from 27 to 58, include three Brits and three Americans. Others involved are a Portuguese expatriate, an Indian, an Italian, a Canadian, a Macedonian and a Saudi, alongside three Bahrainis. The two women are from the Netherlands and Lebanon.
The alleged masterminds of the illicit group were a 55-year-old British culinary entrepreneur and investor, a 57-year-old Portuguese factory manager, a 49-year-old American manager, a 36-year-old Indian businessman and a 49-year-old Canadian sales manager, according to court documents.
Several of the defendants are said to have helped the authorities set up sting operations to arrest their accomplices, case files revealed.
A detective earlier told prosecutors that several of the defendants had smuggled large amounts of marijuana and cocaine into the country, also cultivated the plant at home, and used criminally-designed ways to conceal illegal substances in their luggage through Bahrain International Airport.
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