An expat took up a job as a drug trafficker for a BD300 monthly salary, plus commission for each shipment delivered, the court heard.
He and an accomplice were earlier sentenced to 10 years in prison and fined BD10,000 each for trading in narcotics, and both lost their appeal at the Supreme Criminal Appeals Court.
The two Pakistanis will also be deported after completing their sentences.
The court heard that, in 2025, the appellant reached out to a friend in his home country, asking him for a job opportunity. The friend gave him the contact details of a man, who had an opening as a promoter and seller of drugs in return for a BD300 wage, and paid house rent.
The first appellant agreed to work for the man, and two days later, his new employer tasked him with picking up a dead mail in Manama – a 50g package of shabu.
He then reportedly met his would-be co-defendant to ask for help with transportation to deliver drugs to dead drops across the country.
The second appellant agreed to the partnership, and one day, the duo went to a location where they retrieved shabu from under a ‘big rock’ in a sandy area.
The duo went to the first appellant’s rented apartment, where the anonymous boss had sent a precision digital scale and plastic packaging, in order to portion out the merchandise for sale and distribution.
He followed the instructions given by his boss, and made sales which required drop-offs in Juffair and Manama. He would send location pins to him of where the goods were left.
After the first batch was sold off, the overseas-based boss sent him another shipment through dead mail – 150g of shabu, tripling the quantity, which the pair went to pick up.
According to court documents, another Pakistan-based drug dealer reportedly caught wind of the duo’s activities, and threatened to inform the police if they didn’t work for him.
So, the duo agreed to work for the new boss for BD1 per delivery. He reportedly left them another 150g of shabu, and synthetic cannabinoids (CBD oil) in a large water bottle, as well as smaller glass bottles.
Through secret sources, Anti-Narcotics Directorate agents learned about the two Pakistanis’ illicit activities, identifying them as couriers operating locally for foreign kingpins.
An investigation was carried out that led to their arrest, trial and later conviction.
In the first appellant’s apartment, authorities found 11 small bottles of CBD oil, a medical needle, a pipette containing 6.9g of CBD oil, and a carton of 12 bags containing a white substance that weighed 146.6g.
They went on trial at the High Criminal Court, which convicted them of trading in drugs, and handed down a 10-year jail sentence and a BD10,000 fine.
zainab@gdnmedia.bh
&uuid=(email))