E-cigarette used as a trap: 15-year-old falls victim to illegal substance

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune - www.newsofbahrain.com   

A disturbing case has come to light in Bahrain, highlighting the dangers of e-cigarettes being used as a tool to lure unsuspecting victims into drug addiction.

A 15-year-old boy became a victim after being pressured to use an e-cigarette laced with drugs. The boy’s mother noticed his erratic behaviour and incoherent speech, prompting her to take him to Salmaniya Hospital.

There, it was discovered that he had consumed narcotics. She subsequently filed a complaint against a 30-year-old suspect who allegedly coerced her son into drug use. The case is now before the courts.

The High Criminal Court has scheduled a hearing for 12th August to review the case. The defendant has denied providing and delivering “manufactured hashish” to a minor, encouraging and facilitating his drug use without compensation. He also denied the charge of endangering the child through acts related to immorality and drugs.

Confused state

The mother’s testimony reveals that she witnessed her son in a confused state and suspected drug use.

She took him to Salmaniya Hospital for treatment, where he claimed he had been in a car with the defendant and three other individuals who forced him to use an e-cigarette containing “CBD.”

They also gave him “Larika,” hashish, and “shabu.” The mother, however, remained sceptical, knowing that her son had a history of occasional drug use.

She explained that she believed the defendant had facilitated and encouraged her son’s drug use, leading him astray.

After the incident, she searched her son’s phone without his knowledge and discovered a video showing the defendant putting a drug into the e-cigarette, which her son had filmed.

She also found a conversation between the defendant and her son on Snapchat, where he asked if he wanted to smoke hashish.

The Public Prosecution stated that the 15-year-old boy admitted in investigations that he began using drugs due to the defendant.

In early 2024, the boy encountered the defendant in the area, who introduced himself and offered him his e-cigarette. Upon trying it, the boy realised it contained a narcotic substance.

Relationship

From that point, the boy’s relationship with the defendant grew closer, and he began using drugs with him regularly on the fourth floor.

The boy revealed that the defendant provided them with the e-cigarette for drug use and invited him to his home, where he introduced him to “shabu” and they used it together.

On the day his mother discovered the situation, the boy was heavily under the influence of “shabu.”

The video presented by the mother shows the defendant holding the e-cigarette and using a needle to inject a liquid substance into the device.

Footage

The boy confirmed that he filmed the footage and that the defendant was adding the narcotic “CBD” to the e-cigarette, which they then used.

A urine sample from the boy tested positive for methamphetamine, manufactured hashish, and pregabalin. The defendant’s criminal record also revealed a previous conviction for drug use.