Trial of ‘largest Captagon trafficking network’ adjourned

The First High Criminal Court yesterday postponed the trial of seven defendants who were described the members of the “largest trafficking network of Captagon” in the Kingdom and the GCC, to April 29.

The court’s decision came as it awaits clarifications to its queries from King Fahad Causeway authorities, which seized a bus the group was allegedly using to smuggle narcotics into the Kingdom. According to court files, the Anti-Narcotics Department in Interior Ministry received a tip-off on the network smuggling narcotics into Bahrain in buses transporting pilgrims, that are returning to the Kingdom from Iraq and Syria.

Investigations led to a member of the network who is a bus driver, who had just returned to Bahrain from a pilgrimage trip to Syria. Over 76,000 Captagon pills were found hidden in special compartments when the police searched the bus, he was driving. The man confessed that he was paid BD500 to smuggle the narcotics into the Kingdom.

Another member was caught in Juffair with different types of drugs in his possession. When interrogated, he confessed that he had smuggled drugs into Bahrain and Saudi Arabia through buses for pilgrims for a reward of BD10,000 for each trip.