The Bahrain High Criminal Court of Appeal upheld the life sentence of a 31-year-old Asian man after he tried to smuggle 84 capsules stuffed with the drug heroin inside his intestines, but airport authorities were able to catch him before entering the country.
The court convicted the accused because he brought and possessed heroin and the psychotropic substance methamphetamine with the intent of trafficking unauthorized by law; he also possessed the drug cannabis and the psychotropic substance diazepam with the intent of consumption in unauthorized situations by law.
The details of the incident date back to when the accused arrived at the Kingdom of Bahrain through Bahrain International Airport from his Asian country. Upon passing through the customs area, the first witness suspected him and proceeded to search him but found nothing. Asked about the possession of any prohibited items, he denied, though his appearance suggested guilt. The customs officer then ordered him to be transferred to the X-ray room, where circular shapes suspected of being drug capsules were noticed inside his intestines, leading to his transfer to the Drug Enforcement Administration office.
Upon questioning, the accused admitted to swallowing capsules containing narcotics intending to smuggle them into the Kingdom of Bahrain. He was transferred to the Ministry of Interior hospital and expelled a number of capsules in stages during the observation of the capsule expulsion process until the total number of capsules reached 84.
Investigations by the Drug Enforcement Administration revealed that the accused worked as part of a network that brings narcotics to the Kingdom of Bahrain for trafficking. The accused's role was to transport the narcotics inside his intestines by swallowing them. Laboratory testing confirmed that they contained heroin and methamphetamine, and urine testing confirmed the presence of cannabis and diazepam.
