A man has been sentenced to life in prison for ordering narcotics via mail and storing a cache of assorted drugs weighing 8.45kg at his home.
The High Criminal Court convicted the expat labourer of possessing unregulated CBD oil, cannabinol (CBN), marijuana and MDMA with intent to sell.
He was fined BD10,000 and judges ruled to confiscate his stash and deport him after completing his 25-year-prison term.
The 31-year-old Pakistani admitted to ordering a shipment containing 2.4kg of CBD oil, claiming he was acting on behalf of a person identified as ‘Baba’, who resides overseas.
The case dates back to last August, when a package arriving from Thailand was flagged as suspicious by Customs Affairs. Upon inspection, officers found four containers disguised as skincare products containing infused oil.
The shipment was held at a customs warehouse until November, when the defendant arrived to claim it. Questioned by officers, he said he had ordered ‘natural herbs’.
A subsequent raid at his residence in Hidd uncovered more than 6kg of narcotics concealed in a black suitcase.
The stash included 36 glass vials containing 1.04kg of CBD, an additional 1.027kg in four containers, 277g of hashish in plastic bottles, and another 153g in a bag.
Authorities also found 16 ‘rolls’ containing pieces of paper of various sizes saturated with CBD oil, and a red folder with another 25 pieces of paper.
The bag also held 66 ‘rolls’ of crystal meth (shabu) weighing 308gm, an additional 2.68kg of shabu and 14 pink pills.
All substances were confirmed as illegal narcotics.
The intercepted parcel also contained skincare items, including face masks, a foaming cleanser and a product labelled ‘amino acids’.
According to a detective, the defendant was part of a network importing drugs into Bahrain for distribution and sale, using so-called ‘dead mail’ methods.
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