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TWO picture frames containing photographs of an Asian wedding were allegedly used by international drug operatives to conceal drug-infused papers, a court heard yesterday.
The framed photos, depicting a joyful couple on their wedding day in traditional attire, arrived in Bahrain from Lithuania via air mail, according to a Customs Affairs report.
Behind the photographs, authorities discovered several sheets saturated with unregulated CBD oil, with a total weight of 381gm.
A 20-year-old Pakistani van driver has been charged with importing synthetic cannabinoids for trading purposes and possessing hashish and methamphetamine (shabu) for personal use.
He admitted to the charges before the Public Prosecution, claiming that his shabu dealer had offered him 400,000 Pakistani Rupees (BD538) to become his deliveryman.
The defendant was arrested when he came to pick up the package, which was flagged by customs during the screening of incoming mail.
“We suspected a box arriving from Lithuania since we saw an unusual concentration of contents within,” a Customs Affairs officer testified.
“Inside were photo frames of an Asian wedding, and within were a collection of papers saturated with fluids thought to be of a narcotic nature.”
Lab tests reportedly confirmed these suspicions, and police officers were prepared to arrest the defendant when he arrived to collect his mail, immediately after signing the receipt.
Upon searching him, authorities found a pack of cigarettes containing a glass pipe and a small piece of paper, also saturated with CBD oil.
The man told prosecutors that he had been recruited by a dealer in Pakistan named ‘Abu Bakr,’ who supplied him with shabu at a price of BD14 per gramme. The defendant also admitted to using hashish and a urine test detected traces of the substance in his system.
“One day, Abu Bakr asked me if I wanted to work as a distributor or deliveryman for him in return for cash and free shabu,” the defendant said.
“Officially, I work as a driver for a monthly wage of BD200. I started using drugs – meth specifically – two months before my arrest, which I bought from Abu Bakr via dead drops and consumed through smoking.”
Abu Bakr’s identity was not confirmed, but both the defendant and police stated that he was the one who sent the package and wanted the 20-year-old suspect to act as his agent.
Forensic specialists reportedly found photos on the defendant’s phone showing crystallised material inside a plastic bag, yellow-coloured paper, a glass vial containing a white liquid, and another plastic bag containing a black substance.
Judges adjourned the trial to January 11 for defence responses.
zainab@gdnmedia.bh
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