Video: Three Arrested for Selling E-Cigarettes to School Students via 'Delivery' and Hiding Them in Food Items

The Ministry of Interior announced that the Criminal Security Sector, represented by the General Directorate of Criminal Investigations, has arrested three individuals for their involvement in selling and delivering e-cigarettes to minors, including school students, by concealing them inside food items to facilitate access and avoid detection by parents.

In a statement issued yesterday, the ministry said the arrests followed intelligence reports on the spread of e-cigarettes among some high school students. The Capital Governorate Criminal Investigations Department launched inquiries that led to the identification of a grocery store used to receive, prepare, and package orders in a manner that concealed their true contents.

After obtaining the necessary legal authorization, investigators arrested one suspect during the delivery of an order, before raiding the preparation site and apprehending the other suspects. The operation was conducted in cooperation with judicial police officers from the Municipality of Kuwait, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, and the Public Authority for Food and Nutrition.

The ministry clarified that the suspects confessed to their involvement in the activity. Two of them managed the grocery store, prepared the orders, and hid the e-cigarettes inside food products to generate financial profit, while the third was responsible for delivering the orders via delivery services, fully aware of their contents. The seized items were confiscated, and legal procedures were initiated against the suspects ahead of their referral to the competent authorities.

In this context, the Ministry of Interior warned against the deceptive methods used to target minors, particularly by exploiting the ease of obtaining and ordering products online through delivery services. It emphasized the importance of enhancing cooperation between families and security agencies to protect children from such targeting and exploitation.

The ministry called on parents to monitor the nature of products their children order via delivery services or purchase from stores, to strengthen dialogue and communication with them, build trust, and raise awareness about the risks of smoking and the promotional tactics aimed at minors and school students.

It reaffirmed its continued efforts to monitor and apprehend those involved in such practices, stating that it would not tolerate anyone seeking to exploit minors or endanger their health and safety.