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Three expatriate men, who were found guilty of importing hashish from Thailand via air mail to resell in Bahrain, have been sentenced to 10 years in prison each.
The High Criminal Court judges yesterday also fined the Sri Lankan nationals BD5,000 each, and ordered that they be permanently deported after completing their sentences.
Though the ‘green, grassy substance’ was expertly concealed in tin food containers, it was ultimately detected due to its ‘pungent’ smell, the court heard.
After smelling the unmistakable scent of hashish that was emanating from the package, a Customs officer tasked with reviewing incoming postal packages, reported the box to the Anti-Narcotics Directorate.
On top of the smuggling attempt, one of the defendants, aged 40, was also found guilty of giving free hashish to a 20-year-old co-defendant and with possessing morphine for personal use.
The 20-year-old was also convicted of using morphine and meth and the third, 29-year-old defendant was convicted of using hashish and meth.
The men denied the allegations, but were ultimately found guilty of all the charges.
A few days after the package’s arrival, the eldest defendant visited the post office to pick it up and was asked to present his CPR card and the item’s serial number.
According to a post office employee, the man appeared stressed and in a state of anxiety. As he unlocked his phone to show the number he was ‘overcome with nerves’ and tried to run away.
However, the 40-year-old tripped and fell and was apprehended on suspicion of smuggling narcotics.
His two co-defendants, waiting for him in a car outside, were arrested too. Customs officials handed the suspects and the contraband over to the Public Prosecution, who began their investigations.
“The defendants were part of a network of hashish dealers, led by a man who lives in Pakistan,” a detective testified.
“Their role was to divide it up and distribute it for profit as per the leader’s instructions, and they also received bonus amounts of hashish for them to use personally.”
The GDN earlier reported that the 20-year-old told prosecutors that he was given hashish by the 40-year-old on four occasions.
Traces of meth, morphine and hashish were found in his urine, according to a forensics report.
Chats on WhatsApp containing photographs of the merchandise and conversations referring to locations and prices agreed with clients were found on the smartphone of one of the defendants.
A photograph of the hashish was also discovered, along with receipts of BenefitPay referring to incoming payments and proof that clients were being sent bank account numbers.
zainab@gdnmedia.bh
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