KUWAIT: Coastguards foiled an attempt to smuggle a number of falcons and curlews into the country, as man was arrested with eight cages containing the birds, Al-Anbaa Arabic daily reported yesterday. The suspect, a Kuwaiti man in his 40s, said he collected the birds from an Iranian boat, which left after receiving the payment.

A security source said cameras spotted an Iranian boat that entered territorial waters, and a sea patrol was dispatched towards it. But the boat left the area quickly. Meanwhile, another boat was spotted receiving things from it, thought to be drugs, only to discover they were birds. Another source said trade in these types of birds is very profitable, as a bird bought for KD 200 from Iran is sold in Kuwait for up to KD 4,000.