Kuwait’s Criminal Court sentenced a Bidun defendant to life imprisonment for drug trafficking after drug-control officers caught him in an ambush with quantities of hashish and psychotropic substances in his possession.[1] The verdict was delivered by a panel headed by Counsellor Nasser Al-Badr, with judges Abdulaziz Al-Maadadi and Abdulhadi Al-Hajri and clerk Yaqoub Al-Ballam.[1] The defendant was identified only as Bidun.[1]

Prosecutors charged that he possessed a narcotic substance, cannabis resin (hashish), for both personal use and trafficking.[1] They further charged that he possessed two psychotropic substances, amphetamine and pregabalin, for use and trafficking.[1] They also accused him of consuming the psychotropic substance tetrahydrocannabinol.[1] The cannabis resin is the cannabis component recorded here, while the amphetamine, pregabalin and tetrahydrocannabinol are left out of cannabis quantities as non-cannabis psychotropics.[1]

The court confirmed that the arrest and search conducted by detectives were valid, rejecting the defence claim that those procedures were invalid.[1]