A young man was sentenced to 15 years in prison for importing large quantities of unregulated CBD oil, disguised as dog shampoo, via air mail from several South East Asian countries.
The 23-year-old Bahraini was also fined BD5,000.
A co-defendant, a man his age who he had sold the spiked vape juice to, was sentenced to six months behind bars and fined BD100.
“The defendant smuggled CBD oil in great quantities using creative and intelligent methods, hiding the fluid in packaging of supplements, foodstuffs, cosmetics and personal care products,” read the High Criminal Court verdict.
“The purpose of this was to deceive authorities and conceal the true contents of the packaging in order to re-sell them for profit,” added the judges.
“He imported the synthetic cannabinoids from Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam, communicating with freight companies to deliver the goods to him, then went on to promote and sell his stock.”
According to the ruling, the man received bottles of dog shampoo containing a total of 567gm of CBD oil, arriving from Singapore.
Another package, addressed to him, comprised three food containers with a total of 2.07kg of the narcotic, stemming from a seller in Malaysia with whom he was in contact since 2020.
He also reportedly collaborated with well-meaning freight company employees to get the vape shipped on a regular basis, and used tracking numbers to follow the path of the packages.
A search of his house in Isa Town yielded 16 Lyrica pills, a vape cartridge with traces of CBD oil, along with BD65 in cash and 50 Saudi riyals (BD5), along with bottles containing a fluid suspected to be narcotics.
Judges stated that the defendant had a history of money transfers to Vietnam from 2019 to September 2024, when he was arrested.
Evidence of money wires totalling BD1,742 were found, made in 2022 and 2023 over the course of three transactions worth BD492, BD695 and BD555.
Both men admitted that they used drugs, though the dealer denied importation and selling charges. However, he admitted to them before the court.
An analysis of a urine sample given by the second defendant found traces of pregabalin in his system.
Cannabidiol (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 health.
Strains of CBD oil that are usually consumed through vaping have been associated with seizures, sudden collapse, increased violence and serious injury or death.
According to the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), CBD oil and similar substances ‘pose significant adverse health risks to users’ because ‘the purity of these substances is uncertain and inconsistent’.
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