Court imposes jail, fine in arms smuggling, peddling

10/06/2026

Court imposes jail, fine in arms smuggling, peddling

KUWAIT CITY, June 10: The Court of Appeals, headed by Judge Nasr Salem Al-Haid with Judges Mutaib Al-Aradhi and Saud Al- Sanea as members, overturned the ruling of a lower court that exempted several defendants from punishment in the arms smuggling and trafficking network case. The appellate court sentenced three defendants to four years in prison with hard labor and imposed a fine of KD1,000 on each of them.

The Public Prosecution charged the defendants with possessing firearms and ammunition without a license for trade, facilitating the illegal transportation of weapons across borders, and engaging in money laundering activities linked to arms sales conducted between 2021 and 2025. Investigations revealed that the primary defendant, a first sergeant serving in the Ministry of Interior, maintained a stockpile of weapons intended for commercial trading.

Another defendant, a government employee, was accused of trading various types of ammunition, while an illegal resident was charged with trafficking firearms and possessing a machine gun without a license. State security investigations revealed that the first sergeant played a central role in managing cross-border smuggling operations, while the government employee facilitated the resale of weapons.

Other defendants were found to have participated in marketing activities or unlawfully possessed weapons and ammunition. In the initial proceedings, the Criminal Court acquitted some of the defendants and suspended the sentences of four others, subject to maintaining good conduct and the payment of bail, while ordering the confiscation of the weapons and related materials. After reviewing the case, the Court of Appeals reversed the suspended sentences imposed on the three defendants and sentenced each of them to four years in prison with hard labor, in addition to the KD1,000 fine. The court also dismissed charges against one defendant after determining that the statute of limitations had already expired.

By Jaber Al-Hamoud Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff