Witness footage captures suspect hiding heroin and methamphetamine beneath stone

TDT | Manama

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The High Criminal Court has scheduled March 17 to deliver its verdict in a case involving a man in his twenties accused of trafficking heroin and a psychotropic substance, after a witness managed to film him placing narcotic materials beneath a stone.

The Public Prosecution charged the defendant with possessing, storing, and selling heroin and the psychotropic substance methamphetamine with intent to traffic, in violation of the law.

He was also charged with possessing methamphetamine for personal use outside legally permitted circumstances.

Evidence

During the hearing, defense lawyer Zahra Ali submitted a pleading requesting her client’s acquittal, arguing that the arrest and search were invalid due to the absence of sufficient evidence linking the defendant to the alleged crimes.

She stated that the legality of arrest and search—whether the suspect is present or not—requires the existence of adequate indications of criminal conduct, whether a misdemeanor or felony.

In the absence of such indications, arrest and search procedures are unlawful.

Report

Ali also challenged the validity of the preliminary investigation report for failing to appoint a translator, denied the trafficking charge while acknowledging drug use, and emphasized that the defendant is presumed innocent and maintains his denial.

According to testimony by an undersecretary at the Ministry of Interior, at approximately 9:30 a.m. he received a phone call from a confidential and reliable source reporting that an Asian individual had placed an item beneath a group of stones in a passageway, suspected to be part of a drug handover using the “dead drop” system.

The source also provided a video recording of the individual.

After reviewing the footage, the official coordinated with the relevant authority and proceeded to the location with a police patrol.

Narcotics

Upon arrival at the site, officers found a small transparent bag containing a white powder suspected to be narcotics.

The crime scene team was then summoned to carry out the necessary forensic procedures.

During this time, the individual shown in the video was spotted near the location and attempted to flee. He was chased and apprehended by the police patrol and identified as the same person appearing in the footage.