KUWAIT CITY, Feb 16: A Kuwaiti court has sentenced a gang, including an officer, a soldier, customs inspectors, and a prison inmate, to prison for attempting to smuggle one million Lyrica capsules through Kuwait Airport. The court handed down a 25-year prison sentence to a customs inspector and the inmate, while the officer, soldier, and another customs inspector received 15-year sentences.
Additionally, the court imposed fines exceeding 160,000 Kuwaiti dinars and ordered the dismissal of the convicted individuals from their jobs. The operation was closely monitored by Acting Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Fahd Al-Youssef and was executed by the Ministry of Interior’s Criminal Security Sector, represented by the General Department for Combating Drugs. The accused, including two customs employees, were arrested after authorities received intelligence that they had smuggled the contraband in seven bags in exchange for bribes. The court emphasized the urgent need for a comprehensive legislative policy to combat the spread of psychotropic substances, calling for stricter penalties against officials responsible for enforcing drug laws who fail in their duties.