The Ministry of Interior detailed that its Criminal Security Sector carried out the arrests as part of sustained campaigns targeting both trafficking and personal-use narcotics throughout the country. Its statement listed the confiscated materials as including 4,200 Lyrica capsules, 400 Captagon tablets and 61 grams of methamphetamine in addition to 2.6 litres of hashish oil prepared for distribution. Officers also recovered 100 glass bottles containing liquid chemical narcotics, 100 A4 paper sheets saturated with the same substance, one litre of liquid chemical narcotics ready for distribution, two grams of chemical narcotics and KD 700 in cash believed to represent proceeds from drug sales, according to the ministry.
In a coordinated action between the General Department for Drug Control and the General Administration of Customs, authorities identified a shipment of A4 papers soaked in chemical narcotics. The ministry reported that officers executed a planned operation to arrest the intended recipient and later searched the suspect’s residence, where they found additional quantities of liquid chemical narcotics. All eight suspects from the various cases along with the seized evidence were referred to relevant authorities for legal action, the ministry stated.
The July 21 announcement fits within a broader downward trend in drug-related activity tracked by the same department. Brig. Gen. Mohammad Qabazard, director general of the General Department for Drug Control, told the Kuwait News Agency on June 26, 2026, that smuggling cases had declined from 102 in the first half of 2025 to only 15 in the corresponding period of 2026. Qabazard added that trafficking cases had fallen from 354 to 184 over the same timeframe, a development the ministry attributes to tightened controls on smuggling and distribution networks.
Qabazard noted that the strategy had reduced the availability of many narcotic substances, with some drugs nearly disappearing from local markets and their street prices increasing as a result. He pointed to continuous training programs and modern detection equipment as critical elements that have enabled interception of sophisticated concealment techniques, including narcotics infused into paper materials. The latest seizures illustrate the ongoing collaboration between drug control units and customs officers in addressing evolving trafficking methods.
First Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Fahad Yusuf Saud Al-Sabah has separately indicated that security authorities intercept nearly 95 percent of attempted drug shipments into Kuwait, according to a recent ministry briefing. The General Department for Drug Control remains the lead agency in these efforts, focusing on both border interdictions and internal enforcement actions that target peddlers and suppliers alike. Official figures from the ministry show that such operations continue to yield varied narcotics, reflecting the range of substances circulating despite the overall reduction in case volumes.
