Three expatriates accused of possessing and selling drugs for as little as BD1 per delivery will learn their fate next month.
A 21-year-old sandwich shop worker from Manama allegedly conspired with a 21-year-old labourer and a 22-year-old investor – all Pakistani nationals – to distribute drugs in exchange for cash. The 21-year-olds are standing trial at the High Criminal Court, while the investor remains at large and is being tried in absentia.
According to court documents, an officer from the Anti-Narcotics Directorate received a tip-off from an anonymous source about the suspects.
The source claimed to have seen the two 21-year-olds in possession of drugs, including hashish, methamphetamine (commonly known as shabu) and marijuana, intended for sale.
The officer obtained a warrant from the Public Prosecution to arrest the men and search their residence, after which a task force was formed to carry out the operation.
The defendants were quickly identified and apprehended.
During interrogation, they admitted to dealing in hashish, shabu and marijuana under the instructions of a Pakistani man introduced to them by an acquaintance.
They allegedly used the dead drop method to deliver the drugs, earning about BD1 per successful drop and completing an estimated three to four deliveries each day. ‘Dead drops’ or ‘dead mail’ are a method of drug distribution that involves hiding, or sometimes burying, narcotics in a pre-determined spot for a buyer to later pick up.
An inspection of the defendants’ phones uncovered multiple conversations, photographs of drugs and GPS co-ordinates believed to mark dead drop locations. They also admitted to storing and preparing the substances for sale at a residence in Manama.
When officers searched the property, they found a container with drug traces later confirmed by lab tests to be Cannabidiol (CBD).
Additional items seized included crystalline substances suspected to be shabu, marijuana, two electronic weighing scales, rolls of sticky tape, plastic spoons, unused plastic bags, blue scissors, a plastic container filled with blue powder and a black notebook.
Further investigations revealed the involvement of a third suspect – the 22-year-old investor – who allegedly introduced the duo to an unidentified Pakistani man believed to be the mastermind of a drug trafficking ring operating in Bahrain.
The Pakistani ringleader reportedly used his compatriots to smuggle drugs into the kingdom, while the two 21-year-old defendants handled receiving the packages and preparing them for sale.
The investor allegedly stored the substances and sold them to customers for cash.
The two 21-year-old defendants were later referred for trial at the High Criminal Court, where they are facing charges relating to the sale and possession of hashish, methamphetamine and CBD.
The case has been adjourned until January 13, when judges are expected to deliver a verdict.
nader@gdnmedia.bh
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