AN ELDERLY disabled woman is facing a trial for allegedly smuggling methamphetamine in the lining of her suitcase after arriving on a flight from Karachi in June.
The wheelchair-bound 68-year-old Pakistani housewife appeared at the High Criminal Court and denied the charge of possessing the drug with intention to sell it.
A total of 5.3kg of methamphetamine was allegedly found in the woman’s luggage, according to an Anti-Narcotics Directorate officer’s testimony.
“The defendant exploited her age and disability in order to skirt security procedures, attempting to get away with smuggling such quantities of drugs,” he said.
The officer claimed that the defendant was part of an organised network of drug traffickers who used ‘a variety of methods to mislead authorities in order to promote and sell drugs in Bahrain for profit’.
“Her role in the operation is to smuggle narcotics, using her condition to go through less thorough security procedures, after which she can hand over the contraband to unknown individuals in the country.”
Airport authorities discovered the alleged scheme during routine screening of incoming checked baggage, according to the Public Prosecution.
“I was X-ray-scanning luggage from Karachi when I noticed suspicious materials in two bags,” a customs employee at the Bahrain International Airport told prosecutors.
“I marked the two bags with an ‘X’ symbol so that other customs officers would search the luggage once it was picked up by the passengers.”
Upon reaching the baggage claim exit at the airport, the defendant was reportedly directed to the ‘Red Lane’ where she was asked if the bags contain any prohibited items.
Despite denying carrying a prohibited item, customs officers allegedly found two brown-coloured plastic bags ‘artfully’ concealed inside the lining of the suitcases and wrapped with tape.
The Public Prosecution asked judges to sentence the woman to the maximum penalty for the offences she committed.
“Not a speck of mercy should be afforded to the defendant – her actions hurt the nation, citizens and residents alike, which is what we swore to protect with all our might,” the prosecution’s statement said.
“Crimes such as this have an impact that affects all of society and attacks the one thing holds most valuable: its youth.”
Meanwhile, the expatriate’s lawyer argued that her client’s arrest was unlawful and policemen had acted ‘beyond their authority, transgressing on her constitutionally-protected personal freedoms.’
She told judges that the search and arrest procedures were invalid, claiming that the defendant was not caught in a ‘suspicious situation’ and that officers did not obtain a prosecution warrant to search her.
The lawyer went on to claim that the defendant was an elderly woman who ‘fell victim to professional criminals,’ and that she was not aware that she was transporting drugs.
She also cited a law which only criminalises drug possession if suspects know exactly what the substance they are possessing is. “Not only does the defendant have no criminal motive or history of criminal behaviour, she also does not consume drugs, which was proven when no traces of narcotics were detected in her urine.”
The trial was adjourned to Wednesday for closing arguments.
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