The Criminal Security Sector’s General Directorate for Drug Control monitored and identified the suspect after detecting online content that promoted marijuana use, according to a Ministry of Interior statement. The videos allegedly presented the substance in a favorable light and suggested its consumption to younger audiences. The directorate took the man into custody as part of its ongoing oversight of digital platforms.
The suspect admitted to authorities that he had uploaded the material to his personal social media account, the ministry reported. Investigators referred him to judicial authorities immediately following the admission. The case highlights the directorate’s focus on content that could influence public attitudes toward controlled substances.
Decree-Law No. 159 of 2025, which took effect in December 2025 and unified Kuwait’s anti-narcotics framework, formed the basis for the arrest, the ministry statement indicated. Article 51 of the law sets penalties at up to three years in prison and a fine of up to 5,000 Kuwaiti dinars for violations involving promotion of such substances. The legislation expanded earlier regulations to cover emerging methods of dissemination, including online channels.
A Ministry of Interior statement stressed that firm action would follow against any individual circulating material seen as glorifying drug use. The General Directorate for Drug Control called on the public to refrain from sharing content that might mislead viewers or normalize narcotics. This latest case adds to a series of operations targeting both physical distribution and digital promotion.
Brigadier General Mohammad Qabazard, director general of the General Directorate for Drug Control, told Kuwait News Agency that drug smuggling cases fell from 102 in the first half of 2025 to 15 in the first half of 2026. The directorate’s figures also placed trafficking cases at 184 during the first six months of this year, down from 354 the year before. These reductions reflect intensified monitoring and enforcement across multiple fronts.
The General Directorate for Drug Control has integrated social media surveillance into its standard procedures, the ministry assessment found. Similar arrests have occurred in recent months involving promotion of various narcotics through digital means. Authorities continue to process such files under the updated legal provisions that explicitly address promotional activities.
