Duo jailed in drug-running, ‘money-laundering’ cases
2 acquitted in drugs suit
By Jaber Al-Hamoud
KUWAIT CITY, June 8: The Court of First Instance upheld the verdict issued by a lower court which acquitted two individuals who were accused of possessing drugs (Tremadol) for their use and peddling.
The defense counsel Lawyer Meshari Al-Mutairi stressed the invalidation of the arrest-and-search procedures against his clients as well as the lack of incriminating evidence.
He also indicated the contradiction in the arresting officer’s statements and the reality of events.
Meanwhile, the Misdemeanor Court sentenced a technical producer and an Iraqi expatriate to 10 and 7 years in prison respectively with hard labor due to alleged money laundering and trading in illegal substance “Chemical”.
The case file indicated officers at the General Department of Drug Control received a tip off concerning illicit activities of the duo, and kept a tab on them to ascertain veracity of the information before securing warrant for their arrest. An undercover agent acted as a prospective buyer and agreed on the price and location for delivery, which was close to a cooperative society.
The 1970-born Kuwaiti suspect confessed to the crime upon arrest and told the officers that his
Al-Mutairi
22-year old Iraqi friend was his partner in crime. He also revealed operating in an office he has at a shopping mall where he used to mix the chemical with other substances for sale.
The officers found a large quantity of the illicit item and other incriminating substances inside the office. He also said he got the delivery from Europe under the pretext of importing cosmetics for ladies and used bogus names for that purpose.
Selling liquor:
The Misdemeanor Section in the Court of Cassation overturned the verdict of the First Instance and Appeals courts which sentenced a man to one year and a half in prison with hard labor for selling alcohol in Farwaniya. The higher court acquitted the man of all charges leveled against him.
According to the case files, the arresting officer obtained an arrest and search warrant after results of investigations showed that the accused was in possession of alcoholic drinks for trading in one of the stables in Farwaniya.
The officer and several others raided the stable where they found many cartons containing 134 bottles of what appeared to be alcohol. The available information then showed that the cartons belong to the accused.
Attorney Abdul-Muhsin Al-Qattan, who represented the accused in court, argued the prosecution failed to prove that his client was trading in alcohol. He added the initial verdict was issued on the basis of causation which violated the defense rights.