A security guard is in the dock for allegedly storing hashish in the internal frame of his car, as well as in the front of the vehicle, its boot, the front seats and under the footrests of passengers.
The 24-year-old Bahraini was charged with possessing more than 2kg of hashish with intent to sell.
Two of his clients are also standing trial at the High Criminal Court on charges of possessing drugs for personal use.
He was apprehended following an investigation by the police which uncovered his alleged activities, and the testimony of a co-defendant who said he bought his personal supply from him.
Based on this, an arrest warrant was obtained from the Public Prosecution, and police officers set out to execute it on a day in March.
Upon searching his person, a policeman stated he found a mid-sized chunk, or ‘nug’, of hashish, weighing 32.7g, a small plastic container of cannabidiol, a sensitive scale, plus BD50 and 200 Saudi riyals in cash.
“A quantity of substances was uncovered, hidden in a creative way within the chassis of the car, in the trunk, the front, by the seats and in the footwells,” read the officer’s statement.
“All of the substances were concealed in such a way that they could not be seen with the unaided eye, and required a thorough search to spot.”
Stashed around the car’s inner workings were two large, dark nugs of hashish, weighing 1.9kg, as well as another piece weighing 333.6g, and a sensitive scale with narcotic residue on it.
According to court documents, the defendant regularly used his car to securely store the contraband.
In Public Prosecution hearings, all suspects admitted to possessing narcotics for recreational use, and the two co-defendants – a 37-year-old fellow security guard and a 26-year-old salesman – stated that they bought the narcotics from him, in person.
When their urine samples were tested, all three defendants had hashish in their systems.
The second defendant, the 37-year-old, also tested positive for alprazolam (Xanax) and pregabalin (Lyrica).
A search of the main suspect’s phone reportedly yielded conversations with an unidentified person, in which the two exchanged ‘photos of herbal substances’, as well as images of these substances on scales that show their weight.
Receipts of money transfers were also reportedly found, in addition to photos of public areas with arrows pointing to seemingly-random items, likely pointing to ‘dead drop’ locations.
The trial continues.
zainab@gdnmedia.bh
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