Three men have been sentenced to life in prison for running a BD1 million cannabis-growing operation out of a rental villa in Adliya.
A 51-year-old Arab-American, his 53-year-old Bahraini brother and another 48-year-old Bahraini man were given 25-year terms by the High Criminal Court yesterday, which also fined each of them BD5,000.
Judges ruled to deport the US citizen after completing his sentence. He earlier took responsibility for setting up the hi-tech marijuana farm, caring for the plants from start to finish, and fully equipping the home factory.
The men were charged with isolating the potent part of the plant for commercial purposes. They earlier denied allegations of planting and selling cannabis.
According to detectives, the 48-year-old co-defendant assisted the American in growing the cannabis, helping him organise and put together equipment as necessary. The businessman also reportedly hid some of the stock and seeds in his house and sold the rest, on the American’s behalf, bringing back between BD500 and BD1,000 and then sending part of it to Russia and Georgia.
He was further convicted of presenting narcotics to other individuals in exchange for services, like driving him places.
The 53-year-old brother was found guilty of helping his younger sibling in harvesting and promoting the marijuana yield, since he ‘knows many people in this business’.
The Arab-American was also convicted of possessing marijuana for recreational use and presenting the herb to his two co-defendants for free.
A fourth co-defendant, a 29-year-old Bahraini, was sentenced to 10 years in prison and fined BD5,000 for possessing marijuana with an intention to sell and use it.
Finally, a fifth 27-year-old defendant was sentenced to a year in jail and fined BD1,000 for using synthetic cannabinoids and methamphetamine.
“The first defendant had admitted to renting the house in Adliya and transforming it into a farm, fitting it with thermostats, lighting, ventilation, air conditioning, heating, irrigation systems and water filters,” read the verdict yesterday.
“He divided up the house, dedicating a room for each stage of growing cannabis.”
In the ruling, the court responded to claims made by his lawyer, who alleged that her client was coerced into taking responsibility for the farm, under the promise that he would be freed from detention if he admitted to the charges. She also claimed that he was ‘restrained with metal cuffs for a long period of time’, and went on to accuse his Filipina landlady of being the main culprit behind the marijuana farm.
“The defendant’s statements were consistent, and the court believes that they were made freely and willingly, and are not marred by suspicions of psychological or physical coercion,” read the verdict.
“He was found to be free of injuries when he was interviewed by the prosecution, and didn’t testify that he was forced to confess, or sustained any assault on his person.”
The GDN earlier reported that the Public Prosecution asked judges to penalise the defendants to the fullest extent of the law.
In a previous hearing, a lawyer read the Arab-American’s confession before the court, in which he said that his brother had nothing to do with the gardening, and visited him without knowing anything about the farm.
Case files state that he perpetuated the plant from one batch of seeds brought over from the US by friends, and eventually produced seeds, each worth BD1,000, giving the final product to his co-defendants to promote and sell.
The illegal operation allegedly started in 2019 and continued until the matter came to light earlier this year.
zainab@gdnmedia.bh
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