Three Arrested for Selling E-Cigarettes to School Students, Hiding Them Inside Food Items

- The suspects exploited a grocery store to prepare and deliver orders, with the seizure of confiscated items and legal proceedings initiated against them.

- The Ministry of Interior warns against targeting minors via delivery services and urges parents to monitor their children’s purchases.

The Ministry of Interior announced the arrest of three individuals involved in selling and delivering electronic cigarettes to minors, including school students, after concealing them inside food items to mislead parents and facilitate access without detection.

In a statement posted on its “X” (formerly Twitter) account, the Ministry said the Criminal Security Sector, represented by the General Directorate of Criminal Investigations, arrested the suspects following intelligence reports about the spread of electronic cigarettes among some high school students.

It clarified that investigations by the Capital Governorate Criminal Investigations Department identified a grocery store used to receive, prepare, and package orders in ways that concealed their true contents.

After obtaining legal authorization, one suspect was arrested while delivering an order, and the preparation site was raided, leading to the arrest of the other suspects. This operation was conducted in cooperation with judicial police officers from the Kuwait Municipality, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, and the Public Authority for Food and Nutrition.

The Ministry noted that the suspects confessed to their involvement. Two of them managed the grocery store, prepared the orders, and hid the electronic cigarettes inside food items for financial gain, while the third handled deliveries with full knowledge of the contents.

The Ministry confirmed that the relevant authorities issued the necessary violations, confiscated the seized items, and took legal action against the suspects in preparation for referring them to the competent judicial authorities.

It emphasized that these practices reveal twisted methods targeting minors by exploiting the ease of obtaining products through delivery services, underscoring the need to strengthen cooperation between security agencies and families to protect children from such targeting and exploitation.

The Ministry appealed to parents to monitor their children and verify the nature of products ordered via delivery services or purchased from stores, while also enhancing communication and dialogue with them and raising awareness about the dangers of smoking to safeguard their health and safety.

It reaffirmed its continued efforts to detect and arrest anyone targeting minors through such practices, stressing zero tolerance for attempts to exploit them and endanger their health. The Ministry emphasized that the safety of children is a shared responsibility and that cooperation between families and security agencies is fundamental to their protection.