Kuwait: 3,000 arrested in drug cases in 2021

Cairo: Kuwait arrested 3,000 people in drug-related cases and seized record amounts of narcotics last year, a local newspaper has reported.

The offenders included 1,500 Kuwaitis, 800 stateless Bidoons, 300 Egyptian expatriates and the rest belong to Syrian, Lebanese, Indian, Bangladeshi, and Pakistani nationalities, Al Qabas said, citing unidentified sources.

Around 866 more expatriates were deported from Kuwait for offences of taking drugs or possessing little amounts of drugs that did not warrant registering criminal cases against them, they added.

During the last year, Kuwaiti anti-drug police seized nearly 1,700kg of hashish, the biggest haul in a single year.

They also seized around 10 million drug pills and 30 kilograms of heroin as well as 200 kilograms of methamphetamine, a highly addictive stimulant locally known as shabu, according to the sources.

Kuwait applies tough penalties in drug cases, including the death penalty.