A Bahraini man has been accused of growing marijuana in his home aided by his Bangladeshi housekeeper.
The High Criminal Court heard police officers found a room dedicated to the cultivation of the plant in his West Riffa house, complete with electric lamps, an irrigation system and gardening supplies.
Dried plants were embedded inside six sponges in a plastic box, an envelope containing dried flowers and another containing seeds were also found, according to a detective.
Eighteen packages of marijuana, each weighing 1kg, were said to have been uncovered, in addition to hundreds of prescription pills.
The pair are among five men standing trial for their alleged involvement in a drugs enterprise.
The main defendant, a 36-year-old Bahraini, faces charges of possessing marijuana to trade, and hashish, cocaine, morphine, alprazolam (Xanax) and pregabalin (Lyrica) for personal use.
His 37-year-old Bangladeshi helper has been accused of possessing marijuana and a 46-year-old Italian ‘investor’ has been charged with selling marijuana, possessing hashish and methamphetamine for personal use, and using force against a policeman to resist arrest.
Two other Bahrainis, a 39-year-old charged with possessing unregulated CBD oil and a 33-year-old for possessing morphine, are accused of buying narcotics from the alleged supplier.
“We received information that the first defendant grew marijuana and was helped by the third defendant who promoted and sold it on his behalf,” an Anti-Narcotics Directorate policeman testified.
“A Public Prosecution warrant to search and arrest them was obtained. In the vehicle they were using we found a bag of heroin powder, four Lyrica pills, four scales, a vape pod with traces of CBD oil and a container with the same substance,” he told the court.
A trove of agricultural tools, packaging and miscellaneous drug paraphernalia was later found in their homes, according to the detective.
The items included electrical lamps, a black fabric lined with aluminium foil pieces with traces of soot on them, pliers, electrical equipment and more, the court heard.
The officer stated that the pair sold the harvest via dead mail drops.
One of their alleged conspirators was the Italian expat who lived in Juffair.
He obtained the drugs and resold them for a profit.
An officer sent to arrest the Italian recounted that the suspect was approached when he parked his car. He allegedly used force against them to resist arrest.
Drugs were later found in his flat, judges heard.
In prosecution hearings, the Bahraini man admitted to selling marijuana to the Italian ‘dozens of times’ and the latter admitted to the same.
Meanwhile, the alleged supplier’s lawyer claimed that the marijuana greenhouse actually belonged to the defendant’s brother, but was placed in a shared space in the house – the majlis (sitting room).
“It was a failed attempt to grow the plant – the cultivation never yielded fruit, which means that it does not qualify as a crime,” he claimed.
The attorney told the court that his client was a psychiatric patient who suffered from hallucinations, and that he eventually ‘fell victim to addiction’ despite attempting to seek medical help.
As for the fifth defendant – the only suspect in the case currently not in jail – a medical report showed that he was living with extreme, debilitating arthritis, and was recently diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS).
A doctor told the court, in a letter, that the defendant should avoid stressful situations under all circumstances, like imprisonment or trial, as both could make his condition worse.
Judges set September 29 as the date a verdict will be issued in the case.
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