Appeal fails to save Bangladeshi drug dealer from life term in prison

Kuwait's Court of Appeals has delivered a life sentence to a Bangladeshi national previously acquitted of drug trafficking charges by the Criminal Court. The appellate court, presided over by Judge Nasr Salem Al-Haid, overturned the acquittal and imposed the severe penalty, citing the gravity of the offenses.

The court also confirmed the 15-year prison sentences and KD 10,000 fines for two accomplices, who are also Bangladeshi citizens. These individuals were convicted for their roles in possessing and intending to traffic illicit substances.

The Public Prosecution had brought charges against the defendants, accusing them of possessing cannabis and psychotropic substances with intent to traffic. Further charges included the second defendant possessing heroin and psychotropic substances for trafficking, as well as personal use of hashish, heroin, and morphine.

Evidence presented indicated that a drug enforcement team raided the home of one defendant in Abu Halifa based on confidential information. The defendant reportedly confessed, implicating his accomplices and admitting to storing drugs in Fintas, which were in the possession of the second defendant. The third defendant was apprehended in Mangaf with various drugs in his possession.

While the Criminal Court had initially sentenced all defendants to 15 years and a fine, it had acquitted the second and third defendants of heroin trafficking. The Court of Appeal's decision significantly altered this outcome, reinstating the heroin trafficking charges against the main defendant and imposing a life sentence due to the interconnected nature of the crimes. The sentences for the accomplices were upheld.