A Gulf national, fined BD100 and banned from Bahrain after hotfooting from customs officers on King Fahad Causeway after being arrested for hiding Lyrica pills in his sock, has lost his final appeal against the sentence.
The Lower Criminal Court originally found him guilty of escaping custody and ruled to permanently deport him.
One morning in June 2025, the defendant had entered Bahrain via the causeway using a car owned by his brother. When he had arrived at Bahrain customs, officers searched the vehicle and found nothing. He was then taken to an inspection room, where customs agents found him to be in possession of a number of Lyrica (pregabalin) pills, which were stashed in his left sock.
According to court documents, the officer arrested the defendant and told him he would be handed to the Anti-Narcotics Directorate, where the appropriate legal measures would be taken in his case.
“He felt fear and anxiety, so he fled the customs office, even though he knew he was in custody,” read the court documents “He ran fast, heading to one of the causeway’s restaurants to ask for help, but police arrested him shortly thereafter.”
The appellant was taken to trial at the Lower Criminal Court, convicted and fined. He lodged two appeals against the verdict, both of which were rejected. Most recently, the Cassation Court issued a verdict to uphold the fine and deportation.
Lyrica is a medication primarily used to treat seizures, epilepsy, neuropathic pain and anxiety disorders but physicians have been made aware of the current use of it as a recreational drug. One health study found that 60 per cent of patients presented to its emergency department with seizures had used it and 20pc required intensive care unit admission.
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