An expat, who was laid off from his job as a mobile store clerk, was sentenced to 15 years in prison and fined BD5,000 for importing marijuana disguised as cat food.
The High Criminal Court found the 26-year-old Indian man guilty of ordering an air mail package containing the narcotic herb with the intention to promote and sell it in Bahrain.
Arriving from Canada, the hashish weighed a 2.585kg, and was packaged in a vacuum-sealed bag, stashed away between feline care products and treats.
According to the Public Prosecution, the defendant had started multiple WhatsApp groups to organise the sale and distribution of the narcotic.
A Customs officer testified that he became suspicious of the package during a routine scan of incoming mail.
The case was handed over to the Anti-Narcotics Directorate, which arrested the defendant when he came to pick up his mail, order receipt in hand.
Prosecutors said that the accused was part of a drug importing ring, and that the merchandise was distributed through the dead mail method.
Police seized his phone, reportedly uncovering text messages and conversations containing locations and descriptions of where the dead drops were located, along with photos of drugs placed on a digital scale.
“The defendant came to Bahrain to work at a mobile phone store, but lost his job,” read the verdict.
“He met a yet-unidentified individual, who offered him a job in dealing drugs using the dead mail method.
“He was to receive BD10 for his role in co-ordinating the sale, and dividing up the wholesale marijuana into smaller, saleable quantities.”
On top of the jail time and fine, judges ruled to deport the suspect after completing his sentence.
‘Dead mail’ or ‘dead drops’ are a method of drug distribution that involves hiding, or sometimes burying, narcotics in a pre-determined spot for a buyer to later pick up.
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