Kuwaiti Dealer Exploits Stateless ‘Bedoon’ in Drug Scheme
Watan – In a precedent-setting event in Kuwait’s judiciary, a top Kuwaiti narcotics dealer confessed to manipulating the stateless “Bedoon” community, exploiting their pressing financial challenges.
Authorities caught him trafficking an impressive 50 kilograms of hashish via sea routes. As he stood in the courtroom, as the respected “Al-Rai” publication in Kuwait reported, he declared, “I orchestrated this maritime narcotics transport. I understand the gravity of my actions; they could lead to a death sentence or lifelong imprisonment.”
He added, “I’m now 50 years old, and I need to make it clear: the three men implicated with me knew nothing about the narcotics in the shipment. They are just young men, none older than 20.” He went on to detail how he collaborated with these three to move the shipment, ensuring they remained unaware of its illegal nature.
He pointed out their vulnerability, saying, “Their financial hardships, a result of their Bedoon status and unemployment, made them easy targets. When I suggested transferring the shipment, they agreed without questioning its contents.”
To wrap up his statements, he said, “This sums up what I have to say before this court. I should mention that authorities have previously jailed me for drug trafficking.”
Recently, Kuwait has intensified its efforts against drug trafficking rings. Almost every week reports surface of the authorities seizing significant quantities of banned substances at the country’s land, sea, and air borders.
About 100,000 Bedoon live in Kuwait, caught in a legal gray area. Without a recognized status, they miss out on the privileges that Kuwaiti nationals enjoy. Historically, the term “Bedoon,” which refers to “desert dwellers,” identified those who didn’t secure Kuwaiti citizenship after its 1961 independence. Kuwaiti laws label them as “unspecified nationality.” This ongoing issue arises from the nuances in the nationality laws post-independence and the oversight of some not pursuing Kuwaiti citizenship earlier on.
