*** Court verdict set for five-man drug ring | THE DAILY TRIBUNE | KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN

Court verdict set for five-man drug ring

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

A drug possession arrest in August unravelled a five-man network accused of selling, using, and manufacturing the banned substance CBD, ending in a home-based production set-up.

Judges at the High Criminal Court are due to give their ruling on 15 July.

One of the defendants is seeking leniency.

His lawyer, Ghaleb Al Shareeti, told the court that the man had volunteered information to the authorities, admitting to importing narcotics through a website.

This, he argued, led investigators to uncover the online source and should count in his client’s favour.

Obligations

He said the move fell within Bahrain’s obligations under the 1988 United Nations Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances.

The chain of arrests began when a narcotics officer received word that the first defendant had narcotic substances in his possession, intended for both trade and use.

Checks confirmed the claim, and he was found to be distributing CBD.

A judge granted permission to search his home and detain him.

Arrest

The arrest took place on 20 August.

When asked where the drugs had come from, the man said he bought them from a second suspect, having agreed to pay BD40.

Police supervised a phone call between the two, setting up a meeting in Juffair.

The second man was arrested at the scene. His house was also searched.

The following day, the same officer returned with the first suspect to search his home again.

Source

Meanwhile, the second defendant confessed to sourcing the drugs from a third man.

Investigators identified him and found he too was holding CBD for trade and personal use.

He was arrested on 22 August, and his home searched. The third suspect claimed to be buying his supply from a fourth man.