First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Fahd Yousef Saud Al-Sabah disclosed the record operation while speaking at the closing ceremony of the national anti-drug awareness campaign organized by the Ministry of Social Affairs. According to the minister, authorities seized approximately five tons of raw Lyrica powder together with almost four million capsules prepared for sale during the Tuesday raid that also uncovered a complete manufacturing facility with equipment for filling and dividing capsules. Sheikh Fahd placed the total street value at 150 million Kuwaiti dinars, equivalent to roughly 486 million U.S. dollars, and described the outcome as a significant blow to trafficking networks.
The minister told participants at the “A Homeland That Protects You” event held at the Four Seasons Hotel that the scale of the bust reflected both the seriousness of the threat and the effectiveness of sustained anti-narcotics vigilance. Kuwait’s Directorate-General for Drug Control executed the action under the Ministry of Interior as part of broader efforts that combine enforcement with prevention and treatment initiatives. Sheikh Fahd added that the discovery of local production capacity highlighted evolving methods employed by traffickers to evade traditional border controls.
Combating drugs stands as a top priority for the Ministry of Interior, which continues to target smugglers, tighten controls and disrupt supply lines, the minister stated during the Wednesday ceremony. He called for closer coordination with the Ministry of Health to expand rehabilitation services, noting that a dedicated modern wing for female addicts has already been established while additional specialized centers for male patients are being prepared. The campaign closing brought together government bodies, civil society groups and private-sector organizations to reinforce collective responsibility for protecting youth.
Lyrica, chemically known as pregabalin, was moved to a stricter controlled list by the Ministry of Health in 2021 after reports of widespread recreational abuse as a psychoactive substitute, according to official ministry announcements from that period. The substance, originally developed for treating nerve pain, epilepsy and anxiety disorders, has since featured prominently in multiple large-scale Kuwaiti seizures. A 2023 interior ministry operation, for instance, netted 15 million Lyrica tablets along with half a ton of raw powder from an international network, establishing an earlier benchmark that the latest haul has now surpassed in overall value.
Sheikh Fahd underscored that the danger of such substances extends beyond individual users to entire families, communities and the long-term future of the nation. The Ministry of Interior has pursued a dual-track approach in recent years that pairs intensified interdiction with expanded public awareness programs and improved treatment infrastructure. Data from successive operations indicate that traffickers have shifted toward domestic processing facilities to reduce reliance on cross-border smuggling routes.
This latest success follows a pattern of escalating enforcement actions that have included joint efforts with neighboring states, such as a 2024 collaboration with the UAE that resulted in the interception of 3.75 million Lyrica pills according to contemporaneous ministry statements. The current bust demonstrates continued progress in identifying and dismantling sophisticated production setups that had not been as evident in prior cases. Authorities referred all seized materials and related evidence to competent bodies for further legal processing.
