A Bahraini woman, who allegedly ordered a package from Canada that was filled with hashish and marijuana, will learn her fate next month.
The 46-year-old housewife from Diraz is standing trial at the High Criminal Court after she was arrested by customs officers.
She is facing charges relating to the dealing in and possession of illicit substances, despite allegedly knowing that they were banned in the kingdom.
According to court documents the woman was called to the Customs Affairs by a 34-year-old customs officer at the Bahrain International Airport after her package arrived.
On September 20, at around 2pm, the Bahraini officer was performing his duty as usual, going through parcels that had come into the kingdom, when he came across one from Canada.
The package reportedly contained the defendant’s name on it, and the officer put it through the scanning machine to determine its contents.
After the machine scanned the parcel, which court documents described as ‘bulky’, it picked up on multiple suspicious items within it.
The officer opened the package on the spot, and saw a number of food items, sweets, six small green bags and a plastic bag with 11 red containers full of herbal substances with a strong smell, assumed to be around 149 grams of marijuana.
According to the officer’s testimony, the substances were hidden among the food items and sweets.
He then called the defendant and told her to come collect her package, and she came in the next day at around 4pm.
She signed a form that said that the package was meant for her, and allegedly told the authorities that the package contained beauty products.
The officer opened the package in front on her, and a ‘strong herbal smell’ immediately came out of it.
After some questioning, the woman allegedly told officers that it was the smell of marijuana, and that the package was sent to her by a Pakistani man.
She was arrested, and then referred to the Anti-Narcotics Directorate for further investigations along with the confiscated items from the parcel.
Officers from the directorate then inspected her vehicle, which was parked near the Hidd Post Office, and found a cigarette filled with an unidentified illicit substance.
They also inspected her residence and found a herbal substance, assumed to be hashish, wrapping paper and a weighing scale.
During investigations, the officers also consulted with a trusted anonymous source, that claimed she knew that the package contained illicit products.
She was then referred to the Public Prosecution for trial at the High Criminal Court, where she stood yesterday.
During the hearing, the defendant’s lawyer told the judges that she suffered a mental illness, she was unaware of what she was doing, and that she was a victim herself.
When questioned by the judges, the woman said that the package was only meant to contain beauty products, including shampoo, and there were no banned substances advertised according to the seller, which she found on Facebook.
The case has been adjourned until February 10, when judges are expected to deliver a verdict.
The GDN reported last month that by the end of October, around 1,733 drug control cases were reported by the Anti-Narcotics Directorate for the year 2025. It ranked first in the category of best field co-operation in information and operations at the Arab level.
nader@gdnmedia.bh
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