Two expatriates are on trial for allegedly conspiring to import 3.3kg of cocaine into Bahrain, with an estimated street value of BD400,000.
The High Criminal Court heard that the Brazilian nationals met in São Paulo, where the 25‑year‑old man persuaded the 32‑year‑old woman to transport a suitcase containing the drug to Bahrain in exchange for 17,000 Brazilian reals (around BD1,245).
The older defendant, who was also charged with using cocaine and cannabis, is currently in custody. The younger suspect is believed to have remained in Brazil and is now wanted by Interpol.
According to the prosecution, the 32-year-old suspect is a transgender woman. Although she has the name and appearance of a woman, and bears a ‘F’ gender marker on her Brazilian passport, she is being tried in Bahrain as a man.
Screening of incoming bags revealed that a suitcase, belonging to the defendant, contained suspicious items. Since she could speak neither English nor Arabic, Customs officers used a language translation app to ask if she had anything to declare, and she said no.
Upon opening the suitcase, policemen allegedly found 36 bags of cocaine stuffed in patterned bags tucked between personal items and clothes.
During questioning by the Public Prosecution, a Portuguese-language interpreter from the Brazilian Embassy translated her statements, where she claimed to not having been aware of the contents of the bag.
She testified that a friend-of-a-friend – the second defendant – gave her the suitcase, and instructed her not to open it under any circumstances.
He bought her a ticket to Bahrain, with a layover in Qatar, and she set out of São Paulo on December 31. She arrived in Bahrain at 4am on January 2 on a visit visa, where she was arrested on charges of drug trafficking.
Although the defendant presents as a woman, a medical expert testified that the individual is biologically male while exhibiting the physical characteristics typically associated with an adult woman. A DNA test also revealed that she possesses the male XY chromosome pair.
She is legally recognised as a woman in her home country, with a female gender marked on her documentation. She told prosecutors that she began hormone replacement therapy (HRT) at age 13, and has lived as a girl since.
A urine test reportedly revealed that the defendant had cocaine and cannabis in her system.
Meanwhile, not much is known about the second defendant, who is standing trial in absentia.
The Public Prosecution described the 3.3kg of cocaine as a ‘staggering amount’ of narcotics, and asked to penalise the suspects to the fullest extent of the law.
An Interior Ministry statement indicated that the contraband was worth up to BD400,000 in street value.
The hearing was adjourned to April 12 when a lawyer will be appointed to represent the defendant.
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