Nearly 1,000 drug cases reported in Bahrain since January 2022

TDT | Manama            

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Report by Zahra Ayaz

Close to 1,000 drug cases were reported since the beginning of the current year, according to the Director General of Investigations within the Interior Ministry.

Seventy-three defendants were arrested as part of a probe into drug cases during the last three months alone (July, August, September), and the market value of seized drugs is estimated to be thousands of Bahraini dinars.

The high number could be attributed to the latest strategies devised by the department to stop drug smuggling into the Kingdom as well as local sale and consumption of drugs. In 2021, 1,048 drug cases were reported and 1,229 arrests were made, say Interior Ministry statistics.

According to Brigadier General Abdulaziz Mayouf, new regulations have been put in place to combat drug use, and a national strategy to do so has also been launched. The ‘Recover’ program has been developed for those who want to stop abusing drugs and become productive members of society, he said.

“As the 996 hotline was launched during the year, the current goal is to provide a secure and simple means to report cases of narcotics while preserving the maximum secrecy and security. “The department always works to improve the community and is crucial in spreading awareness through lectures that are directed at all the groups.

“Awareness programs include organizing lectures and exhibitions in various governorates, such as schools, universities, mosques, funerals, work sites, and social clubs, to protect the community from drug access,” he added.

Brig. Gen. praised the anti-drug police’s efforts in collaboration with other authorities such as Customs, Coast Guard, Police Aviation, the Department of Financial Investigation, Police Directorates, and the Special Security Force.

The Daily Tribune had previously reported that several WhatsApp users in Bahrain are urging authorities to investigate drug mafias who send ‘drug delivery messages’ from unknown numbers.

According to cybersecurity experts, blocking the number is the first step in tackling this crime especially if the number is from abroad, while stressing the ways to keep online scammers and drug traffickers at bay.

In April, a total of 950kg of hashish was seized by teams, which operate as part of Combined Task Force (CTF) 150 – one of three task forces under the Kingdom-based 34-nation Combined Maritime Forces (CMF). As per the reports, the CTF 150 seized more than $189m worth of illegal drugs during counter-narcotics operations at sea last year.