Gift Gone Wrong: Expat Arrested At Kuwait Airport For Smuggling Drug In Luggage
An expatriate has been arrested in Kuwait for attempting to smuggle drug narcotics into the country, allegedly to present them as gifts to friends.
Customs officers at Kuwait International Airport became suspicious of the man after observing his nervous behavior—he appeared confused and was constantly looking left and right, according to a security source cited by Al Anba newspaper.
The expatriate, believed to be in his 30s, was taken to a security room for a thorough physical inspection, and his luggage was searched in detail. During the inspection, officers discovered pieces of hashish hidden among his personal clothing.
In preliminary questioning, the man claimed the drugs were so-called 'holiday hashish,' implying that small amounts are sometimes brought in to be shared with friends as gifts.
In a separate incident, customs authorities at Kuwait's Shuwaikh Port intercepted a shipment containing 110kg of hashish concealed inside marble slabs.
Two suspects—a Syrian national and an illegal resident of Eritrean origin—were arrested in connection with the smuggling attempt. According to the Interior Ministry, the operation was coordinated with a third individual, a Gulf national residing outside Kuwait. Efforts are underway to apprehend him in cooperation with authorities in his country.
Further investigations led to the discovery of 6,000 Captagon pills, 5 grams of the drug shabu, and a digital scale used for preparing and distributing narcotics at one of the suspect's residences. The country of origin for the illicit cargo has not been disclosed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Gulf Insider
21 hours ago
- Gulf Insider
Resurgent ISIS? Terror Cells Launch Deadly Attacks On Syria's Kurds
At least three members of the Kurdish Asayish security forces were killed on Sunday in northeastern Syria, according to the group. They said they were targeted by an ISIS cell during a patrol on the road between Raqqa and Hasakeh. The patrol was targeted with a landmine, according to some sources. The official statement from Asayish also reported one person wounded in the attack, who is still receiving medical treatment. ISIS has been launching an escalating number of attacks against northeast Syria, mostly targeting the Kurdish SDF and other Kurdish forces. It has been reported that they carried out 104 attacks so far in 2025. Regional media details the following recent developments: The resurgence is not limited to Kurdish-administered areas. On May 30, ISIS claimed responsibility for its first attack on the forces of Syria's new transitional government, which took power following the ouster of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. That attack, in Suwayda province, involved an improvised explosive device targeting a patrol from the Syrian Army's 70th Division, killing one soldier and injuring three others. The SITE Intelligence Group and SOHR confirmed the operation as ISIS's first publicly acknowledged assault on the new regime. Asayish said that 'sweep operations and investigations' are being launches in the area to try to find those responsible for the latest attack. Operations against ISIS have also been on the rise in recent weeks, with the HTS government joining in on some operations targeting them. The SDF reported that late last week they captured an ISIS cell in Deir Ezzor Governorate. They also reported that they had thwarted an ISIS attempt to plant a landmine in that area, killing one 'ISIS mercenary.' ISIS has claimed two attacks in the past two weeks targeting Syrian government forces, which are being presented as the first ISIS attacks against the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) government since they took power in December. Meanwhile, HTS itself is not much removed from ISIS… The current Syrian government are mix Isis with Al Qaeda (Bin Laden soldiers) that declared war on the west many times before they took overBut now they will deceive the west and play moderate to lift sanctions and get funding to build themselves and prepare for offensive — Bob (@Shariakill) February 23, 2025 ISIS said the first attack was in Suwayda Governorate, and that it killed or wounded seven soldiers. The second attack was near the first one but a week later, and targeted the US-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA), killing one and wounding three.
Gulf Insider
5 days ago
- Gulf Insider
Pensioner Arrested Over Fraud In Kuwait
Kuwaiti police have arrested a pensioner accused of defrauding several people of money after he duped themselves into believing he has strong connections. The suspect was arrested inside a resthouse in the Kabd area near Kuwait's Capital Governorate after he had deliberately altered his facial features by growing a beard and wearing glasses, Al Anba newspaper reported. The case surfaced after several Kuwaiti citizens had filed reports to police, claiming they had met a man in his fifties, who had tricked them into believing he could finalise complicated transactions for them due to his purported connections, the report quoted a security source as saying. The claimants said the suspect accompanied them to a government institution where he shook hands with the employees in a sign of familiarity. Having allegedly fleeced them of a total of KD90,000 (about $293,215), the complainants added that the suspect had later eluded fulfilling his commitments and eventually turned off his phone. During interrogation, the suspect admitted to having been used to fraud and would take his victims to his former workplace, the source added. After deceiving the victims with his connections, he would ask them to rest before he entered the offices of the officials. He would later inform the victims that their affairs would be seen to and receive sums of money from them in exchange for allegedly completing their transactions.
Gulf Insider
23-05-2025
- Gulf Insider
Kuwait Sentences Police Officers To 10 Years For Drug Smuggling
A Kuwaiti court has sentenced two policemen and a customs inspector to 10 years in prison each for attempting to smuggle drugs. The country's Court of Appeals has upheld the conviction of the three, including a firefighting officer, on attempting to smuggle 1 million banned Lyrica pills at Kuwait Airport. The defendants had been arrested by the Kuwaiti anti-drug police after receiving information that they were smuggling the substance in seven suitcases, Al Qabas newspaper reported without specifying the date of the arrests. Several countries ban dealing in Lyrica pills because of potential abuse and addiction. In recent months, Kuwaiti authorities have announced foiling several bids to smuggle drugs into the country. Earlier this month, a shipment arriving at Kuwait's Shuwaikh Port was found out to have contained 110kg of hashish that had been secretly hidden inside marble slabs. Two suspects — a Syrian national and an illegal resident with Eritrean citizenship— were arrested in connection with the bid, the Kuwaiti Interior Ministry said. They attempted to smuggle the shipment in collaboration with a person outside Kuwait identified as a Gulf national. In addition to the drugs, 6,000 Captagon pills, 5 grams of the intoxicating shabu substance, and a digital scale used in preparing and distributing narcotics were found at one suspect' house. The origin country of the illicit cargo was not revealed.
