Drugs Hidden in Sweet Parcel: Court Sets Verdict Date for Bahraini Housewife

Manama: The First High Criminal Court has scheduled February 10 for the verdict in the case of a 46-year-old Bahraini housewife accused of importing and using narcotics.

According to case details, the charges arose after customs authorities intercepted a postal package arriving from a European country containing sweets and food items in which narcotics were allegedly concealed. The Public Prosecution charged the defendant with importing marijuana for the purpose of trafficking and possessing hashish for personal use, both in violation of the law.
A customs officer testified that while inspecting incoming parcels, he became suspicious of a package addressed to the accused due to its unusually high density shown during X-ray screening. Upon opening the parcel, officials found food items and sweets, along with six small green bags and a larger bag containing 11 small red boxes holding a herbal substance suspected to be marijuana, weighing approximately 194.15 grams, concealed in a professional manner.

The package was seized and marked, and a postal notification was sent to the recipient. The following day, the defendant appeared at the post office and signed for the package, initially stating that it contained cosmetics. When the parcel was opened in her presence, a strong herbal odour emerged. She then acknowledged the smell resembled marijuana and claimed that an Asian man had sent the package for her to collect.

An officer from the Anti-Narcotics Department confirmed the customs officer’s testimony, stating that the defendant was handed over along with the seized items. A search of her vehicle, which was parked near the post office in the Al-Hadd area, revealed a cigarette containing a narcotic substance. A subsequent search of her residence uncovered a dark-coloured substance believed to be hashish, rolling papers, and a sensitive scale.

Investigations, supported by laboratory testing and confidential sources, indicated that the defendant was aware of the narcotics concealed in the package and knew they were prohibited. Authorities stated that she received the parcel on the instructions of an unidentified individual to deliver it to another person, in exchange for narcotics for her own use.
During questioning by the Public Prosecution, the defendant admitted to receiving the package and signing for it under an agreement with the same individual, in return for 30 grams of hashish. She also confessed to using hashish and purchasing it from him.
Laboratory analysis confirmed that the seized substances included marijuana and cannabis (hashish), and that the defendant’s urine sample tested positive for cannabis.