KUWAIT: Three suspected drug smugglers are seen with the haul of hashish that was busted. — MoI

KUWAIT: Kuwait intends to sue drug kingpins in some foreign countries, accusing them of tirelessly working to smuggle drugs into Kuwait with the help of their accomplices in both Kuwait and some neighboring countries, high-ranking Interior Ministry official sources said. The sources added that Kuwait has official and firm evidence linking these drug lords to the narcotics seized in Kuwait, and stressed that lawsuits would be filed in each drug trafficker's respective country.

Moreover, the sources highlighted that as part of coordination with other countries to exchange classified information, Kuwait intends to establish its own anti-drug offices in key countries to place drug dealers under close surveillance and foil their attempts to smuggle drugs into Kuwait before they actually arrive. Notably, Kuwait does have two such offices in Lebanon and Pakistan, while a third is pending to open in Iraq, the main country through which drugs are smuggled into Kuwait and other GCC states.

Meanwhile, the Interior Ministry announced yesterday it foiled an attempt to smuggle 160 kg of hashish from Iran into Kuwait. The Drugs Control General Department was tipped off that a drug trafficker was planning to bring in a large amount of cannabis into the country by sea, the ministry's security information department said in a statement. A task force was formed and investigations confirmed the information.

The trafficker, who holds a Gulf nationality, was arrested with the narcotics, and he confessed to his crime. He led security bodies to the residence of his two partners, both stateless (bedoons), who were found to be registered offenders. The three suspects and the drugs, worth KD 300,000, were referred to the prosecution. - Agencies

By A Saleh and Hanan Al-Saadoun