Ministries joint action busts illegal tobacco sellers

Manama

In a concerted effort, The Health Ministry along with the Interior Ministry busted illegal tobacco sellers in Muharraq recently. The Interior Ministry, in a press statement issued here yesterday, explained that the suspects were Asian nationals. “They were caught selling and manufacturing the illegal substance in a scrap shop in the area.”

According to the Ministry, the suspects were arrested and referred to the Public Prosecution for further investigation.

“Any violations regarding the use of tobacco products in closed public places or information about the use of illegal tobacco should be reported to the Ministry’s hotline on 66399755,” the statement added.

The Ministry also confirmed that the suspects had violated Articles 2 and 3 of Law 8 of 2009 of combating smoking and the use of all kinds of tobacco. It explained that penalties would vary between BD2000 and BD5000.

Some tobacco products are banned in Bahrain legally, including Indian-made chewing tobacco (Tumbak) and powdered tobacco (Naswar), which is mainly exported by Pakistan and Iran.