TWO expatriate men are on trial at the High Criminal Court for allegedly selling and using drugs.
The first defendant, a 30-year-old sales associate, has been charged with selling hashish and using methamphetamine (shabu), while a 21-year-old labourer is charged with using hashish.
Both are Indians.
Authorities first became aware of the illicit activities when they received a report about the second defendant.
Upon being arrested in Hamala in March this year, he immediately agreed to co-operate with the police and led them to the individual he had allegedly bought the drugs from.
A search of his Juffair residence revealed some amounts of hashish and drug-related paraphernalia hidden in his closet. E-cigarettes containing traces of hashish were also found in his possession.
Under police supervision, the younger defendant called the older defendant and struck a deal to buy 30gm of hashish for BD230.
The two met on Budaiya Highway and as they completed the exchange, the 30-year-old was also arrested.
Contraband was found in his car, including the 30gm of hashish, a sensitive digital scale, a crystal substance thought to be shabu and a dark piece of solid marijuana hidden in a black eyeglasses case.
Although both the defendants admitted to using drugs, the first defendant claimed that he gave the drugs to the second defendant for free, while the other claimed that he paid for them.
“I bought hashish from him three to four times,” the younger defendant told the police.
A search of the 30-year-old’s phone reportedly revealed conversations in which he was agreeing with other individuals on the sale and purchase of drugs.
In one of these conversations, the defendant was complaining to the person who he appears to have bought the shabu from that the drugs he purchased weighed less than the amount he had apparently agreed to buy.
Meanwhile, the 21-year-old’s phone yielded multiple GPS locations of spots where he met with hashish dealers.
Traces of shabu were found in the urine samples of the first defendant, while traces of hashish were found in the urine sample of the second defendant.
The trial was adjourned to Thursday.
zainab@gdnmedia.bh
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