Man caught with 248 heroin pills in stomach from Bahrain airport gets life

TDT | Manama     

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

A drug mule caught from Bahrain International Airport during an attempt to smuggle 248 heroin-filled capsules in his stomach has been jailed for life. Police said the man, an Asian national, landed in Bahrain from Pakistan.

He acted suspiciously during check-in procedures and remained nervous when approached by customs officers. "We then escorted him to the red lane and checked his baggage extensively but spotted nothing suspicious."

The suspect also denied carrying illegal goods during interrogation. However, the signs of physical discomfort the man showed, prompted investigators to subject him to an x-ray scanning. Scan results revealed that the man was carrying 248 capsules in his stomach.

A chemical examination later confirmed the capsules had heroin. Later, when confronted with the evidence, the suspect, cops said, confessed to smuggling capsules. He told investigators he was getting an undisclosed amount for working as a drug mule.

The public Prosecution charged the man with smuggling heroin and consuming drugs. As per the court order, officials will deport him at the end of his jail terms. This, however, is not the first time customs officers in the Bahrain International Airport arrested people with drugs hidden in their stomachs.

Tribune had reported several such events recently, where police had arrested smugglers with drug-filled capsules in their guts. In one such incident reported towards the end of July, the High Criminal Court had awarded a life term to a man for smuggling 110 drug-filled capsules in his stomach.

In a similar incident reported earlier, the High Appeals Court had confirmed a five-year jail term awarded to a man caught smuggling more than 100 drug capsules in his stomach.