Court upholds 10-year jail term in Salmabad cannabis sting

TDT | Manama

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A cannabis trafficker has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after the Appeal Court upheld a lower court’s ruling in the case.The verdict also confirmed a BD10,000 fine and deportation order, which followed a BD150 undercover sting operation in Salmabad.

The High Criminal Court of Appeal kept the first-instance judgment and ordered the seizure of the drugs and related items.

Case files say police received word that the man was arranging drug sales.

Trust

A secret source gained his trust, agreed to buy marijuana for BD150 and set the handover in Salmabad, where officers watched the exchange.

He was arrested with the marked cash. Officers restrained him and took him to his lodging, where a search found a quantity of cannabis.

During questioning, he said he picked up drugs from drop points fixed with another person, who also named those due to collect the proceeds in return for his commission.

Admission

He admitted doing this three times before and was caught on the fourth.

Prosecutors charged him, within the Northern Governorate, with selling and possessing cannabis with intent to traffic outside authorised circumstances, and with possessing cannabis for personal use without a licence.

The court kept the 10- year term, the BD10,000 fine, confiscation of the seized items and deportation after the sentence is served.