Kuwait’s Criminal Court has sentenced nine individuals to seven years in prison each and fined them KD1 million after finding them guilty of forming an organised criminal gang that operated an illegal online gambling website and laundered the proceeds. In the same ruling, the court imposed a fine of more than KD1.839 million on a company involved in the scheme. In a separate case, Kuwait’s Criminal Court has sentenced a Kuwaiti woman to 15 years in prison and fined her KD10,000 after convicting her of cultivating, trafficking, and using cannabis and psychotropic substances. The ruling followed a security operation carried out by the General Department for Drug Control, which placed the woman under surveillance before raiding her home. Authorities discovered quantities of narcotic and psychotropic substances, along with equipment used for growing and preparing the drugs, local media reported. According to the court’s findings, the defendant cultivated narcotic substances inside her residence and possessed tools and materials used for drug production, with the intent to traffic and personally consume the illegal substances. During the house search, officers seized drugs as well as equipment used in cultivation and processing. The case also involved a second defendant, a Kuwaiti man. The court chose not to impose a sentence on him after determining that he had only used the substances and was not involved in their cultivation or trafficking. The Ministry of Interior warned the public that engaging with illegal gambling websites or participating in their activities constitutes a criminal offence. The court cited the specific circumstances of the case in extending leniency. In its decision, the court rejected defence arguments questioning the legality of the arrest and search, ruling that both were conducted lawfully and under a valid judicial warrant. It stressed that authorities will take the strictest legal action against anyone who exploits digital platforms to undermine the country’s financial and economic security.
