Three drug dealers have been acquitted after assisting police in dismantling a narcotics ring by providing information that led to the arrest of four accomplices.
Eight suspects stood trial at the High Criminal Court on a range of drug-trafficking charges, while one defendant also faced accusations of possessing unlicensed ammunition, a hand grenade, tear gas canisters and a knife.
Two Pakistani mechanics and one Bangladeshi cook were pardoned by judges, despite having been implicated during the investigation.
A Filipino barber was acquitted of drug dealing but was sentenced to six months in prison and fined BD100 for using methamphetamine recreationally.
The four suspects they helped implicate were found guilty of selling and promoting drugs – two Pakistanis were each sentenced to 15 years in prison and fined BD10,000 for dealing in marijuana and methamphetamine, while a Bahraini was sentenced to five years in prison and fined BD3,000 trafficking Lyrica pills.
Another Bahraini was sentenced to three years in prison and fined BD1,000 for possessing prohibited ammunition, and an additional six months in prison with a BD100 fine for using drugs.
The Public Prosecution appealed the Bahraini defendant’s sentence, seeking a harsher penalty.
The Supreme Criminal Appeals Court accepted the appeal and raised the fine from BD100 to BD500.
Two Pakistani suspects and the two Bahrainis, however, lost their appeals in court.
Judges also ruled to deport the six expats to their home countries, including the ones who were acquitted.
The case began when the Filipino expatriate arrived at Bahrain International Airport from Thailand carrying nearly 6kg of marijuana concealed in a suitcase, triggering a chain of investigations, sting operations and arrests.
Customs officers testified that they became suspicious after detecting an unusually dense concentration of items in the passenger’s luggage in July last year.
A subsequent inspection uncovered marijuana hidden among food products, nuts and toys, and concealed between layers of clothing.
The seized drugs weighed 5.85kg and were divided into 11 packages.
The Filipino defendant admitted he had smuggled the consignment into Bahrain on the instructions of two alleged traffickers known only by the aliases ‘Abu Sakhr’ and ‘Zishan’, who remain at large.
While in custody, the 45-year-old received a phone call from Abu Sakhr enquiring whether he had arrived in Bahrain. Under police supervision, he replied in the affirmative and sent photographs of the drugs to reassure the caller that the shipment had arrived.
Abu Sakhr then allegedly instructed a 22-year-old Pakistani labourer to collect the consignment.
After his arrest, the labourer told investigators he had been acting on the orders of a 26-year-old Pakistani technician.
The operation continued as part of a controlled sting, with the arrested courier co-operating with police and pretending that the delivery was proceeding as planned, allowing investigators to trace other suspects linked to the drug network.
Another Pakistani defendant, a 27-year-old mechanic, later arrived to collect the marijuana. He was also arrested and allegedly confessed that he had been sent by another Pakistani labourer, aged 31.
With the help of the 27-year-old, policemen set up a trap that led to the arrest of a Bangladeshi cook, who in turn implicated an unemployed 23-year-old Bahraini.
The final defendant, a 28-year-old Bahraini mechanic, was arrested after allegedly attempting to purchase hashish from his compatriot.
In his residence, policemen uncovered a metal box containing 5.56×45mm cartridges – three empty and one live – used as ammunition for rifles.
The tear gas canister was specified in court documents as CS gas, a riot control agent banned for use in warfare by the Geneva Protocol.
Investigators also reportedly found 40mm ammunition, commonly used with grenade launchers, along with a double-edged knife described in court records as being ‘for use in combat’.
A cache of cash was reportedly found in his residence – BD2,050, 140 Kuwaiti dinars, 200 Emirati dirhams, $100 (BD38), 60 Qatari riyals and £30 (BD15).
He was charged and convicted of possessing weapons and ammunition without authorisation from the Interior Ministry, in addition to possessing methamphetamine for personal use.
Meanwhile, three Pakistanis and the Filipino were charged with selling marijuana and methamphetamine, while the Bangladeshi was accused of possessing hashish and pregabalin (Lyrica) with intent to sell.
The younger Bahraini was also accused of possessing pregabalin (Lyrica) with intent to sell, as well as possessing tramadol, an opioid; clonazepam (Klonopin), a benzodiazepine; and gabapentin, a controlled anticonvulsant, for personal use.
zainab@gdnmedia.bh
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