Man jailed for three years for smuggling tombak in onions

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

A man in his forties has been sentenced to three years in prison for attempting to smuggle tombak into Bahrain by concealing it inside onions imported from an Asian country.

The High Criminal Court also ordered his deportation after serving the sentence and imposed a series of fines. The defendant was fined BD3,985, with an equivalent amount in value-added tax. Additional fines of BD19,925 were imposed on the value of the goods and evasion of customs duties, another BD19,925 in excise tax, and a further BD19,925 fine.

The case began at the seaport when a customs officer inspecting a shipment of onions noticed their unusually large size and sent the load through an X-ray scanner. The scan revealed irregular contents inside the onions. Upon opening the sacks and cutting the onions, inspectors discovered they had been packed with tombak, a substance banned in Bahrain.

The search led to the seizure of 11,110 bags of tombak, weighing a total of 1,035 kilograms. Authorities assessed the value of the seized goods at around BD19,925, after which the material was secured and handed over to the relevant customs department.

A customs clearance agent told the court that the defendant had contacted him regarding the onion shipment and asked about the required paperwork for import. The agent requested the shipment documents and customs authorisation, which were subsequently provided after the fees were paid.