High Criminal Court Opens Trial of Three Asians Over Drug Import and Trafficking Case

The High Criminal Court has begun the trial of three Asian men accused of importing and promoting illegal drugs. The court has scheduled September 9 to notify the third defendant, appoint a lawyer for the second defendant, and allow the defense counsel of the first defendant to review the case and respond.

According to the Public Prosecution, the defendants aged 23, 26, and 30, allegedly imported cannabis in 2025 with the intent to traffic the substance, in violation of Bahraini law.

The case began when a customs officer, while on duty, became suspicious of a package arriving from abroad. A sniffer dog was used to inspect the parcel, which was found to contain 0.95 kilograms of cannabis. The package was seized and handed over to the Anti-Narcotics Directorate at Bahrain International Airport for further investigation.

Authorities traced the shipment to the first defendant. A sting operation was carried out using a decoy parcel, with a confidential source arranging for the defendant to collect it. The man was arrested after signing the delivery papers. He later contacted the third defendant to inform him of the parcel’s arrival and arranged for it to be collected.

Subsequently, the third defendant sent the second defendant to retrieve the package. The first defendant, under surveillance, was released temporarily, leading to the arrest of the second defendant. Investigators later discovered that the third defendant, who had been deported from Bahrain, was leading a criminal network involved in smuggling and distributing narcotics inside the kingdom.

The investigation revealed that the third defendant coordinated shipments into Bahrain, while the first defendant was responsible for receiving the drugs and handing them to local distributors. The second defendant’s role was to store, divide, and distribute the drugs to dealers in exchange for money.

During questioning by the Public Prosecution, the first defendant admitted he collected the parcel on instructions from the third defendant and intended to pass it to the second defendant. A video found on his phone showed details of how the drugs were to be distributed and sold. Forensic analysis confirmed the seized materials contained narcotics.