Drugged boatman jailed for deadly Umm as Sabaan collision
The man found guilty of sailing under the influence of drugs and causing an accident at sea that claimed the lives of two Bahraini fishermen has been sentenced to seven months in jail. The court also slapped him with a BD1,150 fine.
He could, however, avoid jail by posting a BD100 bail, though his boat and fishing gear will be confiscated for operating with banned 'karaf' trawling nets and sailing without a mandatory satellite navigation tracker.
The verdict was issued by the Lower Criminal Court, which found the skipper guilty of manslaughter, reckless boating, and navigating under the influence of pregabalin, a controlled substance. He was sentenced to six months in prison for breaching marine safety laws that led to the deaths, and an additional one month for drug possession.
He was also fined BD1,000 for operating with banned 'karaf' trawling nets and sailing without a mandatory satellite navigation tracker. An additional BD50 fine was imposed for failing to provide life jackets, a fire extinguisher, and a first-aid kit on board. The deadly incident occurred in the waters off Umm as Sabaan islet, also known as Al-Muhammadiya, following a collision between two boats. Both Bahraini fishermen on board one of the vessels were killed. Two Asian crew members involved in the crash were each sentenced to 40 days in jail for illegal trawling, followed by deportation. They also received 10-day sentences for overstaying their visas.
The case came to light when Coast Guard officials responded to reports of a boat collision. They found the skipper attempting to tow the damaged vessel to Malkiya beach, with one victim's body still aboard. The second body was later recovered near Budaiya port.
Investigators faced challenges due to unclear marine reports and outdated tracking data from the cybercrime unit, which failed to show the boats' movements on the day of the incident. A marine inspector noted that some findings were speculative rather than based on concrete evidence.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Tribune
5 hours ago
- Daily Tribune
Drugged boatman jailed for deadly Umm as Sabaan collision
The man found guilty of sailing under the influence of drugs and causing an accident at sea that claimed the lives of two Bahraini fishermen has been sentenced to seven months in jail. The court also slapped him with a BD1,150 fine. He could, however, avoid jail by posting a BD100 bail, though his boat and fishing gear will be confiscated for operating with banned 'karaf' trawling nets and sailing without a mandatory satellite navigation tracker. The verdict was issued by the Lower Criminal Court, which found the skipper guilty of manslaughter, reckless boating, and navigating under the influence of pregabalin, a controlled substance. He was sentenced to six months in prison for breaching marine safety laws that led to the deaths, and an additional one month for drug possession. He was also fined BD1,000 for operating with banned 'karaf' trawling nets and sailing without a mandatory satellite navigation tracker. An additional BD50 fine was imposed for failing to provide life jackets, a fire extinguisher, and a first-aid kit on board. The deadly incident occurred in the waters off Umm as Sabaan islet, also known as Al-Muhammadiya, following a collision between two boats. Both Bahraini fishermen on board one of the vessels were killed. Two Asian crew members involved in the crash were each sentenced to 40 days in jail for illegal trawling, followed by deportation. They also received 10-day sentences for overstaying their visas. The case came to light when Coast Guard officials responded to reports of a boat collision. They found the skipper attempting to tow the damaged vessel to Malkiya beach, with one victim's body still aboard. The second body was later recovered near Budaiya port. Investigators faced challenges due to unclear marine reports and outdated tracking data from the cybercrime unit, which failed to show the boats' movements on the day of the incident. A marine inspector noted that some findings were speculative rather than based on concrete evidence.
Daily Tribune
5 hours ago
- Daily Tribune
Lavender-sprayed clothes fail to mask drug haul; smuggler jailed for 15 years
An Asian man in his thirties has been sentenced to 15 years in prison and fined BD5,000 for attempting to smuggle nearly four kilogrammes of marijuana into Bahrain using a suitcase packed with lavender-sprayed clothes to disguise the drug's scent. The court also ordered the confiscation of his luggage and his permanent deportation following the completion of his sentence. The man was arrested at Bahrain International Airport after a customs officer noticed irregularities during a routine luggage scan. Inside the suitcase were twelve plastic-wrapped parcels concealed among folded clothing, emitting a strong scent of cannabis despite the lavender spray. The total weight of the drugs was 3.9 kilogrammes. When questioned, the defendant claimed the suitcase belonged to someone from his home country and said he had been instructed to deliver it to an unnamed person in Bahrain. The matter was handed over to the Drug Control Directorate. Investigations revealed he was acting as part of a smuggling network, tasked with transporting the shipment into Bahrain for onward distribution. He later confessed to knowing the contents of the bag and said he had agreed to the job in return for 20,000 rupees. Further evidence was uncovered on his mobile phone, including messages about using lavender to mask the smell and photos and videos showing marijuana being packed into the suitcase — all taken by the accused. Lab analysis confirmed the seized material was narcotic.
Gulf Insider
2 days ago
- Gulf Insider
Teacher Guilty Of Swindling Funds
A school teacher who forged receipts for classroom supplies to pocket BD274 in petty cash has been sentenced to three years in prison. He was fined BD500 and ordered to repay the full amount, down to the last 35 fils. The court also ordered his deportation once the sentence is served and ordered the confiscation of the forged material. The First High Criminal Court found the 44-year-old Arab defendant guilty of swindling funds from his workplace over the course of 2023 and 2024. Scheme Working at a primary school, he carried out the scheme with the help of a well-meaning cashier who unknowingly processed fake invoices the teacher had submitted. He claimed to have covered expenses for design and technology supplies using his own receipts told a different story. Some were invented from scratch while others were genuine but tampered with. Money He used the papers to withdraw sums in cash from the school and kept the money for himself. Investigators found receipts for BD49.500, BD45.540, BD47.300, BD3.960, BD2 and BD22.250. In one case, he added a zero to an invoice for BD1, turning it into ten. In another, he rewrote a BD45 receipt. Some of the goods listed had in fact been returned to the shop, yet the money was still paid out. Fraud The fraud came to light after the Education Ministry's risk and audit unit noticed irregularities in the petty cash accounts. A review team examined the paperwork and picked out seven receipts linked to the teacher. All were found to be fake or altered. One shopkeeper confirmed that several of the receipts bearing his store's name had never been issued by him. Records The layout, paper and details did not match his records. He confirmed six of them were said the teacher knew full well what he was doing. He submitted the papers to make off with school funds and got away with it for months. His actions, they said, involved both theft and forgery. Also read: Bahraini Companies Warned Over Fake Tender Email Scam
