Bahrain court hands heavy punishment to 17 for drug trafficking

TDT | Manama                                                                      

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

The High Criminal Court handed down heavy punishments to 17 defendants accused of peddling hashish and cocaine in Bahrain.

They are of seven different European nationalities as well as a GCC man, an Arab woman, an Asian man, and three Bahrainis.

The defendants received jail sentences ranging from one year to life. They were also fined BD77,000 and the foreigners will be deported on completion of their jail terms.

According to court files, the defendants formed a criminal network to smuggle illicit drugs into Bahrain and distribute them and the Interior Ministry received a tip-off regarding this. An undercover agent was assigned to the job.

He offered to pay BD120 for some cocaine in order to lure the culprit. They met in Seef, and police arrested him while he was trying to leave the scene after completing the alleged deal. Police seized from his house BD8,000, earned through drugs.

The other defendants were captured later, following arrest warrants issued against them after their involvement in the case was established.