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A Bahraini has been sentenced to 10 years behind bars after setting up a drugs base in Juffair under the instruction of a narcotics boss based abroad, the High Criminal Court heard.
The man rented an apartment specifically for storing, packaging and selling illegal substances. The 34-year-old Bahraini man was also fined BD5,000 for possessing and selling hashish and unregulated CBD oil.
He contested the ruling at the Supreme Criminal Appeals Court and judges ruled to uphold the verdict.
The court heard that the Bahraini was working for a man in Pakistan, known as ‘Ali’, who would send him shipments of narcotics to sell or give to others for distribution.
The appellant was arrested outside the Juffair flat on suspicion of trading in drugs.
In his trouser pocket, police found BD1,017 in cash, thought to be revenue from selling drugs. Inside the apartment, police found numerous bottles of CBD oil, including 66.9gm in one container, 827.7gm across 29 bottles, and 828gm of hashish in two plastic containers.
A 0.5gm of crystal methamphetamine and two MDMA (ecstasy) pills, which the appellant possessed for personal use, were also uncovered.
Various packaging items were found too such as 60 empty bottles, bags and a digital scale. Drugs users’ paraphernalia like smoking pipes, a vape cartridge and cigarette rolling paper was additionally discovered.
The authorities also recovered a drone from the apartment.
The Bahraini admitted to charges, stating that he was first a customer of Ali’s, then started selling drugs for him.
He testified that, since he lived with his parents, Ali told him to rent an apartment that could be used as a headquarters for his operations.
Indeed, once he got the flat, Ali sent over a package of 14 bottles of shampoo, filled with unregulated CBD oil reportedly, which allegedly arrived from Saudi Arabia.
He was told to give 12 bottles to a Pakistani man, who came to the flat to pick them up, one to a woman, and to keep one to portion out and sell himself.
He awaited instructions, then sold the quantity he possessed through ‘dead drops’, or ‘dead mail’. Once it was sold off, the appellant received BD500 from Ali, and was supplied with more stock to sell.
The 34-year-old testified that around 4,000ml of CBD oil was sold on a weekly basis, and that the stock was shipped to eight addresses, and cost BD800.
On his phone, authorities found WhatsApp conversations with a phone number that had a ‘+923’ country code, corresponding to Pakistan, in which he was told what to do.
Photographs and location pins of dead drops were sent to that number, as well as images of drugs on a scale, and BenefitPay receipts of the illicit sales.
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