The Ministry of Interior announced it has dismantled a network accused of stealing diesel from vehicles belonging to government bodies and private companies before collecting the fuel and reselling it to projects inside Kuwait. In a statement the ministry said the General Department of Criminal Investigation through its Capital Governorate branch carried out the operation as part of ongoing efforts to combat theft crimes and illegal activities. A total of 41 suspects were arrested while 38 vehicles were seized during the coordinated action.
The ministry’s investigation revealed that drivers had siphoned quantities of diesel from vehicles entrusted to them without their employers’ knowledge and transported it to a site in the Amghara area for sale and storage in dedicated tankers. According to the ministry’s statement a citizen supplied those tankers under a monthly guarantee system for KD 1,600 and was fully aware of their deployment in the illicit activity. The ministry added that after completing surveillance the main suspects were caught in the act while extracting diesel from one vehicle with the remaining individuals detained as they purchased the accumulated quantities.
The ministry’s tally listed the 41 detainees as including those who stole sold and bought the fuel along with others found in their company. All arrested suspects and the seized vehicles which belonged to various state entities and private firms have been handed over to competent authorities for legal action. The statement emphasised that the case forms part of sustained measures to protect subsidised petroleum resources from diversion.
This operation follows a similar ministry-led effort in August that resulted in the arrest of four expatriates for siphoning diesel from telecommunications towers in the Jaber Al-Ahmad area over a two-year span. In that case the Capital Governorate Investigations Department also handled the file after the suspects admitted using their maintenance roles to draw excess fuel for resale according to an earlier interior ministry statement. The pattern illustrates recurring vulnerabilities in fuel distribution chains that criminal investigation units continue to target.
Throughout 2025 the ministry’s campaigns intercepted attempts to smuggle approximately 50 containers of subsidised diesel across sea land and inland storage sites often involving falsified customs paperwork or unauthorised use of state land. Those prior actions which included seizures from farms near border zones demonstrated how theft networks have evolved from opportunistic acts into more organised enterprises. The latest Amghara bust builds on that momentum by addressing both upstream diversion and downstream buyers in a single sweep.
The ministry has maintained that it will apply the full force of the law against anyone involved in tampering with national resources or undermining the economy through black-market fuel trade. By focusing on the entire supply chain from drivers to end purchasers officials seek to deter future attempts that exploit subsidised diesel pricing. Inquiries remain active to identify any further links in the network.
