The Criminal Court sentenced an Asian expatriate to death after convicting him of heroin trafficking, judicial officials announced on October 19, 2026. Prosecutors established the defendant’s possession of the substance with intent to traffic, according to court records that applied provisions from the prevailing narcotics law. The ruling followed standard trial procedures in which evidence was reviewed by the presiding judges and the defense presented its arguments.
The Ministry of Interior has reported a series of operations by the Directorate General for Drug Control that have targeted trafficking networks operating inside and outside Kuwait. Ministry of Interior figures show elevated numbers of arrests and seizures throughout 2026, many involving expatriates from Asian countries. In updates on its enforcement efforts, the ministry stated that intelligence-led actions remain central to preventing narcotics from reaching local markets.
Al-Qabas daily reported that investigations leading to the arrest confirmed the expatriate’s role in a distribution chain, with the heroin quantity meeting criteria for the maximum penalty. The newspaper noted that electronic scales and packaging materials were also recovered during the operation, reinforcing the trafficking charge. Court documents reviewed during the trial aligned with initial findings from the anti-narcotics unit.
Kuwait’s Amiri decree-law No. 59 of 2025 on combating drugs, published in the Official Gazette, sets the penalties for trafficking offenses including death or life imprisonment depending on scale, a government publication confirmed. The legislation, which took effect two weeks after its appearance in the gazette, consolidated earlier rules and added stricter measures for international networks. Legal summaries distributed by the Public Prosecution office have highlighted the law’s role in recent convictions.
The Public Prosecution office reported that similar cases this year have resulted in consistent application of severe sentences, with capital rulings subject to automatic review by higher courts. Quarterly enforcement data released by the office lists dozens of prosecutions tied to heroin and other hard drugs. Officials within the prosecution have described the pattern as part of sustained pressure on supply lines feeding the domestic market.
A regional security assessment from the GCC Secretariat last year placed Kuwait among member states with the highest per-capita drug seizure rates relative to population, according to the compiled review. The assessment drew on interior ministry annual summaries that document cooperation with neighboring countries on border controls and information sharing. Those summaries also note that heroin inflows have primarily originated from transit routes linked to production areas further east.
