KUWAIT CITY, Aug 16: Under the supervision of His Excellency Sheikh Fahad Yousef Saud Al-Sabah, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, security services have dismantled a criminal network involved in the production and distribution of methanol, a toxic substance that has recently claimed the lives of several members of the Asian community.

Following coordinated field investigations, the General Department of Criminal Investigation, in cooperation with the General Department for Drug Control, the General Department of Forensic Evidence, and the Ministry of Health, arrested Nepalese national Bhuban Lal Tamang in Salmiya. He was caught red-handed in possession of methanol and admitted to preparing and selling the substance.

Further inquiries led to the arrest of Vishal Dhanyal Chauhan, an Indian national, and Narayan Prasada Bhashyal, a Nepalese national, who were also found to be involved in the production and distribution of the toxic liquid. The network’s ringleader, Delora Parkash Daraji, a Bangladeshi national, was later identified and taken into custody.

In security operations across Kuwait, authorities arrested 67 individuals linked to the manufacture and sale of illicit alcohol, uncovered six factories dedicated to illegal production, and shut down four others operating within residential and industrial areas. An additional 34 wanted individuals were also apprehended during these campaigns.

The Ministry of Interior stressed that methanol poses an immediate and severe risk to public health, warning that it can cause death upon consumption. The ministry reaffirmed its zero-tolerance stance toward anyone endangering the country’s security or the safety of its residents, vowing to continue pursuing all those involved in trafficking or promoting narcotic and intoxicating substances.