An Asian worker has been caught making and packing the banned ‘Al Swaika’ tobacco substance at a scrap shop in Muharraq Suq, said Bahrain Health Ministry in a statement.

Muharraq Police station’s security officers raided the shop and caught him red-handed, reported the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

They notified Health Ministry anti-smoking committee vice-president Mariam Janahi, who inspected the place and made a report confirming the incident, before referring the suspect to Public Prosecution.

Under anti-smoking law, violators face fines ranging from BD2,000 ($5,261) to BD5,000.

The ministry urged the public to report violations on its anti-smoking hotline 66399755, which is operational every day from 6am until midnight. - TradeArabia News Service