Kuwaiti acquitted of drug peddling, sent for rehab

02/06/2026

KUWAIT CITY, June 2: The Criminal Court acquitted a 53-year-old citizen of possessing and trafficking narcotics and psychotropic substances, but convicted him of possessing the substances for personal consumption and ordered to put him in a rehabilitation center for two years, reports Al-Seyassah daily. This ruling was based on the amended Anti-Narcotics Law, which stipulates the treatment and rehabilitation of drug addicts, instead of imprisonment. Lawyer for the defendant, Attorney Abdulmohsen Al-Qattan, argued that the warrant of the Public Prosecution was invalid due to the inconclusive investigations, and that there was no intent to engage in drug trafficking.

As a precautionary measure, he requested that his client be considered a user and placed in a specialized treatment facility. In its reasoning, the court affirmed that the presented evidence did not reach the level of certainty required to prove the trafficking charge. It indicated that the investigations and the arresting officer’s statements were insufficient on their own to establish this intent, especially since the defendant was not apprehended during sale or purchase transaction, and no cash or technical evidence was found to support the accusation. It added that the investigation did not determine the source of the seized substances, which created a reasonable doubt that should be interpreted in favor of the defendant, necessitating his acquittal on the drug trafficking charge.

On the other hand, the court established that the defendant possessed the narcotics for personal use based on his confession, forensic reports and testimony of the arresting officer. Results of tests also showed that his urine sample had narcotics and psychotropic substances. He admitted to using heroin, methamphetamine and synthetic cannabinoids, as well as relapsing after a certain period of abstinence. Based on the established fact of his addiction and his prior drug-related offenses, the court ordered putting him in a rehabilitation center for two years. It obligated the center to submit periodic reports on his condition, and ordered the confiscation of the narcotics, psychotropic substances and drug paraphernalia found in his possession.