Kuwait's largest ever drug bust, announced this week, was a raid on a makeshift factory in the process of producing more than 30 million dinars ($98.4million) worth of pills, local media reported on Friday.
Kuwait's Interior Ministry forces announced on Wednesday that they had seized 15 million illegally obtained Lyrica pills and half a tonne of the medicine in powder form during a raid on a farm in Al Wafrah, a town on the Kuwati-Saudi border.
Sources told local media on Friday that the farm was a drug processing factory to turn the powdered medicine into pills to be sold on the black market.
Lyrica is the brand name for pregabalin, a medicine used to treat epilepsy and anxiety. The drug reduces the number of pain signals that damaged nerves send out, however, it has become a popular party drug as it can induce a sensation similar to inebriation.
“The factory was under the control of two citizens in their fifties [who] were assisted by an Indian and a Sri Lankan,” a source told the local daily Al Qabas.
The paper said that the initial investigation appeared to show the defendants were part of an international organised criminal gang smuggling the Lyrica in powdered form from China to be stamped into pills in Kuwait.
The source also said that at least eight million pills were being prepared for smuggling to an unnamed neighbouring state.
They said that the 2,000-square-metre factory had been operating for at least a year.
Interior Minister and Acting Defence Minister Sheikh Talal Al Khaled said there was an increasingly professional effort by smugglers to “flood the country” with drugs.
“We must double our efforts and take a stand to confront this danger with full force, to fight it and to eliminate it in order to protect the youth of the country,” Sheikh Talal said.
Following the raid, the Kuwaiti parliament's educational affairs committee unanimously approved a draft proposal to require secondary schools and universities to carry out drug testing for staff, pupils and students as part of a wider crackdown on the use of narcotics.
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- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
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The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
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Defined benefit and defined contribution schemes explained
Defined Benefit Plan (DB)
A defined benefit plan is where the benefit is defined by a formula, typically length of service to and salary at date of leaving.
Defined Contribution Plan (DC)
A defined contribution plan is where the benefit depends on the amount of money put into the plan for an employee, and how much investment return is earned on those contributions.
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
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- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
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Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
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LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
