Interior Ministry: Smuggling of raw chemical agents thwarted at Abdali border crossing

The Ministry of Interior, represented by the General Directorate of Narcotics Control, announced the thwarting of an attempt to smuggle approximately 47 kilograms of methamphetamine (shabu) and 45 liters of raw methamphetamine liquid through the Abdali border crossing, under the direct supervision of the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, Sheikh Fahad Al-Yousef.

In a press statement yesterday, the Ministry said that the General Directorate of Narcotics Control managed to apprehend a member of a network involved in smuggling, manufacturing, and trafficking narcotics, and to disrupt the smuggling of a shipment of methamphetamine and the raw materials used in its production. This action was part of the ongoing investigation into a suspect previously arrested at his home in the Saad Al-Abdullah area for manufacturing methamphetamine in a “jakhour” (a concealed compartment) in the Kabd area and trafficking narcotics.

The statement clarified that the arrest followed extensive investigative work and the setting of a tight ambush, in coordination with the General Directorate of Customs, as the suspect arrived from the Republic of Iraq via the Abdali border crossing. Authorities discovered approximately 47 kilograms of methamphetamine and 45 liters of raw methamphetamine liquid, used in the production of psychoactive substances, hidden in a secret compartment within the chassis of his vehicle.

Further investigations revealed that the suspect was traveling by land to the Khuzestan region in Iran to meet a drug dealer who was responsible for concealing the shipments inside the vehicle. The suspect would then return with the vehicle through the Republic of Iraq to Kuwait and hand it over to a previously arrested accomplice, who would unload the contents in a “jakhour” to manufacture methamphetamine and distribute it through trafficking networks.

The statement noted that the suspect confessed to carrying out more than 24 smuggling operations over a two-year period, including the introduction of shipments into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In those cases, individuals linked to the other suspect would take possession of the vehicle, unload its cargo, and return it to him for his return to Kuwait.

The Ministry affirmed that the General Directorate of Narcotics Control would continue to track the remaining members of the network and its extensions, taking necessary legal action against those involved and dismantling their sources of activity to safeguard societal security and the safety of its members.