By Munaif Nayef | Arab Times

KUWAIT CITY – Anti-drug officials acting on the directives of the head of the Drug Control General Department (DCGD) Sheikh Ahmed Al-Khalifa Al-Sabah arrested an Ethiopian for selling “Qat” which is proscribed by Kuwaiti authorities, to his fellow African expatriates. ‘Qat’ is a leafy intoxicant commonly used in Yemen. Armed with sufficient information regarding the suspect’s activities, Brigadier Al-Khalifa set up an undercover team to track him down. Officials cleverly lured the accused into a trap by assigning an African to purchase a kilo of “Qat” worth KD 400. The suspect who was arrested during the buy-bust operation later guided the team to his flat in Hawally where another 45 kilos of the stuff were seized.

He confessed during interrogation importing the stuff which he always packed in small bags under the label “Henna” into the country on countless occasions. Two women compatriots who he referred to his “partners” were also arrested in their Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh hideouts in possession of 3 kilos of “Qat.” The three later claimed ignorance to the illegality of the stuff in Kuwait, which according to them is not “a forbidden commodity” in their home country. They were referred to the concerned authorities for further investigations.