MANAMA: Authorities seized yesterday drugs worth SR200,000 from a Bahraini national at the King Fahd Causeway. The man was trying to enter the island country from Saudi Arabia with one kilo of hashish and 10 capsules of heroin.
The Anti-Narcotics Directorate at the Ministry of Interior said in a statement that authorities responded to a tip-off.
A warrant was issued and a team was set up to carry out an undercover operation.
A senior police official said the suspect’s movement was monitored when he arrived at the causeway. “He was later arrested with the help of an undercover agent who purchased heroin from him,” the official said.
Bahraini authorities have tightened security at the borders, especially the King Fahd Causeway. Last year, Minister of Interior Sheikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al-Khalifa said in 2007 authorities apprehended 1,042 people in drug-related cases, compared with 1,014 people in 2006.
The minister said drug abuse claimed 33 lives in 2007, compared with 36 in 2006.
Hashish was the top drug seized by Bahraini officials: 1,113,539 kilograms (2.5 million pounds) confiscated in 2007. Other drugs seized included heroin (1,233 kg in 2007), cocaine, marijuana and certain types of prescription drugs and pills.
In 2006, Bahrain ratified an anti-drug law that stipulates stiff penalties for violators.
According to this law, individuals arrested for peddling drugs face imprisonment and fines ranging from SR50,000 to SR500,000.
