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TWO men have been sentenced to 10 years behind bars for operating a drug smuggling ring in Bahrain.
The Saudi men, aged 21 and 40, were found guilty of drug dealing by the High Criminal Court yesterday.
A third defendant – a Bahraini – was also found guilty of drug dealing. However, he was pardoned and sentenced to three years in jail as he helped authorities arrest his co-defendants. He was only charged with possessing narcotics.
“The defendant (aged 30) helped police in setting up a sting operation and all three have been found guilty of the charges due to sufficient evidence against them,” read the court ruling.
While the 21-year-old Saudi man is in custody, his 40-year-old partner-in-crime has been sentenced in absentia.
The Bahraini was caught on May 11 while smuggling in hashish from Saudi Arabia through King Fahad Causeway.
“The 30-year-old’s vehicle was stopped for an inspection. He was asked if he was concealing anything which he denied,” revealed court documents.
A K9 dog named Star however started sniffing around the vehicle following which officers launched a search operation.
According to court documents, a total of 4,781.100gm of hashish was recovered from the car. One piece of the drug was found stuffed behind the speedometer while four more were hidden inside coffee bags.
The 30-year-old, however, told the Public Prosecution that he gave the vehicle to an unknown man in Saudi Arabia who hid the drugs.
“I went to Saudi Arabia to visit a friend who was a regular at the hotel where I was working as a security guard,” said the 30-year-old in his statement.
“I needed to borrow BD1,500 from him to treat my disabled son and he said he will give me double that amount if I did him a favour.
“He took my car and hid the items in it. He said all I had to do when I arrived in Bahrain was to give him a call and he would give me BD3,000 for just the drive.”
Co-operation
He said he told the truth to the officers and agreed to co-operate with them in order to receive a lighter sentence.
“A drop was arranged when I arrived in Bahrain and once a location was agreed the officers secured the scene in Juffair,” the Bahraini said.
“When the exchange happened, we were all arrested. I didn’t know there were drugs. I only agreed because I needed the money to help my son.”
The 21-year-old Saudi defendant will be deported after completing his sentence.
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