Recently Bahrain has witnessed a surge in drug-related crimes, with the authorities successfully netting several ‘drug mules’ along with their stuff.
Customs Affairs statistics shows that while 695 drug trafficking attempts were thwarted in 2014, in the first three months of this year alone, 259 have been foiled. This is alarming and a nationwide campaign is needed to address and stamp out the menace.
Last week, for instance, the Criminal Investigation and Forensic Science office announced that an Asian was arrested with 62 capsules of heroin in his intestine, the estimated value of which is BD50,000.
Similar incidents have taken place at different times. These have been keeping staff at Bahrain International Airport busy and passengers, particularly those from Pakistan, complained about the way they were being treated at the airport.
I don’t think there is discrimination towards one nationality when it comes to airport search rules, but drug-related incidents have been found frequently among passengers who arrived from Pakistan.
This implies that those who trade in drugs are using Pakistani passengers ‘“ who have little or no knowledge of the consequences of the crime ‘“ to transfer drugs to Bahrain.
The whole picture of the business shows us that there are good suppliers in Pakistan and an equal number of consumers in Bahrain.
However, most people agree that Bahrain doesn’t seem to be the final destination for the drugs, but is used as a transit to Saudi Arabia. Passing drugs through the causeway is believed to be easier than using the Saudi ports and airports. The relatively fair sentencing of drug traffickers in Bahrain as compared to the beheadings in Saudi Arabia may also be another reason for using Bahrain entry points for the Gulf’s illegal drug trade.
According to an AFP report on May 19, Saudi Arabia has executed 84 people ‘“ almost as much as for the whole of 2014, and most of the victims were related to drug trafficking business.
These horrifying incidents have not prevented drug traffickers from stopping the illegal business. They continue to do so at the expense of the lives of innocents for a mere chicken’s feed commission.
There seems to be another alternative to interrupt the supply and demand link in the drug business.
If we focus on countries where the drug is believed to originate, we question the efficiency and professionalism of the Customs officers in those countries. How come the ‘drug mules’ pass through the airports without being scanned by Customs officers?
Fighting drug trafficking is the responsibility of all governments. Unless there is a concerted effort to deal with traffickers, no nation is safe from drugs peril.
Bahrain customs officers’ attempts to arrest drug traffickers are worth appreciating, but the other governments from where drugs originate must also do their best to prevent traffickers from using their entry and exit points. Short of this, we will expect more ‘drug mules’ in our prisons.
Duri