A drug mule who allegedly smuggled nearly 100 capsules containing heroin has been sentenced to 15 years in prison.
The High Criminal Court convicted the labourer of importing and possessing narcotics with an intention to promote and sell them.
In January, the 30-year-old Pakistani returned to Bahrain from his home country on a Gulf Air flight and was almost able to pass through the airport security undetected, but a sharp-eyed customs officer foiled his plans.
“A short while before the incident, a circular had been issued to pay extra attention to travellers arriving from Pakistan and to search them thoroughly,” a customs policeman who caught the defendant earlier testified.
“As the defendant was walking toward the green lane (nothing to declare), we stopped him and searched him, but found nothing suspicious in his luggage.
“When we put him through a body scanner though, objects were detected in his abdomen.”
The defendant was taken to Salmaniya Medical Complex where he was given laxatives and ended up excreting the heroin capsules over the course of two days.
The Pakistani man went on to spill the beans to authorities, stating that he was asked to transport the contraband by a compatriot in his home country, who promised to pay him in return.
He was supposed to pass it on to an agent of the dealer in Bahrain, who would then promote and sell the drugs.
The defendant added that the drug racket was headquartered in the city of Peshawar in Pakistan.
The GDN had previously reported about Pakistani drug smugglers who were ordered to smuggle by unknown individuals based in that region of the country. However, investigators could not pinpoint the identity of the masterminds or the individuals who were supposed to collect the heroin when it arrived in Bahrain.
The court ruled to deport the defendant after completing his 15-year-term.
zainab@gdnmedia.bh
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