15-Year Jail Term for ‘Dead Drop’ Drug Trafficker
The High Criminal Court of Appeal upheld a 15-year prison sentence and a BD10,000 fine against an Asian national convicted of importing large quantities of narcotic substances and distributing them in Bahrain using the “dead drop” method.
The court also upheld an order to deport the defendant from Bahrain after he completes his sentence and to confiscate the seized items.
According to the case details, the defendant met an individual of the same nationality who lived abroad and was involved in selling narcotic substances in Bahrain. In return for his assistance, the defendant was promised BD1 for each sale.
He subsequently began receiving smuggled narcotic substances from abroad, along with empty bottles, through the “dead drop” method. He would fill the bottles with the substances and distribute them at different locations on several occasions. He received a total of BD200 for the sales he carried out.
The defendant was later contacted by the same unidentified person and asked to receive a postal package containing 5,000 ml of narcotic substances.
However, the operation was foiled after a customs officer at the airport detected the package while carrying out routine duties. An X-ray scan showed an area of unusually high density inside the package.
The authorities coordinated an operation to arrest the intended recipient. At the agreed time and location, a delivery employee arrived accompanied by security officers. The defendant appeared and received the package, after which officers immediately arrested him, identified themselves and informed him of the purpose of the operation.
A search of the defendant and an inspection of the package resulted in the seizure of 62 containers with liquid narcotic substances, 20 additional containers with traces of narcotic substances, five bags with empty containers intended for distribution, and an electronic shisha head containing 433.76 ml of liquid substance.
Investigations found that the defendant was part of a network involved in importing narcotic substances and smuggling them through sophisticated methods in postal packages from a European country.
After the substances arrived in Bahrain, they were distributed among network members, stored, and divided into smaller quantities before being placed at various locations for collection using the “dead drop” method in exchange for financial compensation.
Investigators also found that the defendant retained part of the substances for personal consumption.
During Public Prosecution investigations, the defendant admitted to selling narcotic substances. Searches of his mobile phones also uncovered conversations, photographs and video clips linked to the sale of narcotic substances.
Related Posts