Liquor smuggling attempt foiled

Manama, Feb. 19 (BNA): Director General of Criminal Investigation and Forensic Science (CIFS) today said an attempt to smuggle a large amount of liquor on a sand carrier vessel into the country has been foiled and 21 individuals of different Asian nationalities were arrested. The CIFS Director General said investigations revealed that the ship workers after loading the ship and sailing towards regional waters, received the items from a boat in the middle of the sea and then transferred them through the company’s port with the assistance of others to certain warehouses. They used to sell the goods at lower prices and traffic some of them outside the country. He said that the confiscations included vehicles used to transfer the smuggled goods and more than BD36,000 in cash and that the alcohol products were worth more than BD 200,000. Legal proceedings are being taken to refer the case to the Public Prosecution, he added.