Interior Ministry: Three Arrested for Selling E-Cigarettes to School Students Hidden in Food Items

The Criminal Security Sector, represented by the General Directorate of Criminal Investigations, arrested three individuals who were selling and delivering electronic cigarettes to school students by concealing them within food items, aiming to deceive parents and facilitate access for their children, in violation of the law prohibiting the sale of cigarettes to persons under the age of 21.

The Ministry of Interior stated in a statement on Saturday that this operation is part of its continuous efforts to protect juveniles and safeguard their health and safety.

The Ministry clarified that the arrest followed intelligence reports regarding the spread of electronic cigarettes among some high school students. Investigations by the Capital Governorate Criminal Investigations Department 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, one suspect was arrested while delivering an order, and the preparation site was raided. The other suspects were apprehended in coordination with judicial police officers from the Municipality of Kuwait, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, and the Public Authority for Food and Nutrition.

The suspects confessed to their involvement in the activity. Two of them managed the grocery store, prepared the orders, and hid the electronic cigarettes inside food products to generate financial profit, while the third was responsible for deliveries, fully aware of the nature of the products. Appropriate violations were recorded by the competent authorities, and the seized items were confiscated.

The Ministry of Interior warned that these practices reveal twisted methods targeting juveniles by exploiting the ease of obtaining products through delivery services, necessitating enhanced partnership between security agencies and families to protect children from such targeting and exploitation.

The Ministry appealed to parents to closely monitor their children, pay attention to the nature of the products they order via delivery services or purchase from stores, and strengthen continuous communication and dialogue with them, while raising awareness about the dangers of smoking to help protect their health and safety.

It emphasized its continued efforts to monitor and arrest anyone targeting juveniles through such practices, asserting that there will be no leniency toward those seeking to exploit them and endanger their health and safety. It reaffirmed that “the safety of our children is a shared responsibility, and cooperation between families and security agencies is fundamental to their protection.”

The Ministry of Interior noted that necessary legal measures have been taken against the suspects, paving the way for their referral to the competent authority.

It is worth noting that in 1995, the Anti-Smoking Law was issued, which prohibits the sale or provision of cigarettes and tobacco products to individuals under the age of 21.