The Second Minor Criminal Court in Bahrain sentenced two people and seized a tanker, all connected to an attempt to smuggle four tons of tembak into the country. The first defendant was sentenced to three years in prison and fined BD 60,000 ($159,000) and the second defendant was sentenced to six months in prison for attempting to import the banned tobacco.
Customs officials discovered the tobacco “cleverly hidden inside the tanker” being brought through the seaport. The Tax Evasion Crimes Unit launched an investigation, and the second defendant admitted they had falsified documents in an attempt to bypass import restrictions.