A young man who claimed to have sold narcotics to his friends ‘to make ends meet’ has lost an appeal against his jail term.
The Supreme Criminal Appeals Court found the 25-year-old guilty and upheld his 10-year sentence.
In January, the High Criminal Court convicted the Bahraini of importing synthetic cannabinoids from Malaysia, in the form of CBD oil.
According to the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), synthetic cannabinoids ‘pose significant adverse health risks to users’ because ‘the purity of these substances is uncertain and inconsistent’.
The man was also fined BD5,000 and convicted of possessing hashish, methamphetamine and pregabalin (Lyrica) for personal use.
He filed an appeal at the Supreme Criminal Appeals Court which upheld the earlier verdict.
The GDN earlier reported that the appellant received half of the CBD oil shipment without getting caught, but was apprehended later after customs officers detected the suspicious liquid in another package addressed to him.
According to court documents, the appellant used WhatsApp to reach out to an individual in Malaysia, and paid him BD400 via international wire transfer, in return for a 400ml shipment of CBD oil.
During Public Prosecution hearings, he admitted to selling some of the oil in the first package, and using some himself, and claimed that he accepted both cash and digital transfers for payment.
He told prosecutors that he did what he did as he was desperate to make some money ‘to make ends meet’.
A search of the appellant’s phone reportedly yielded photos of narcotic substances, conversations regarding drug sales and copies of incoming payment receipts.
According to reports, illicit CBD vendors import the liquid via post from Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore.
CBD oil is derived from cannabis and is a popular natural remedy for many ailments. However, it is outlawed in Bahrain as the liquid may be cut or laced with ingredients harmful to users’ health.
A DEA report stated that ‘the abuse of these substances for their psychoactive properties is concerning’ and that they both pose a serious risk to the user.
zainab@gdnmedia.bh
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