Alarming increase in innocents used as drug carriers to Kuwait worries Indians
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Recent increase in cases where innocents are used as carrier for bringing drugs to this gulf country worries the common man from taking parcel packets from their friends and relatives while coming back to Kuwait.
Several cases were reported recently where these rackets target unsuspecting travelers bound for the Gulf who are used as carriers. Some of them get caught at the destination airports and eventually end up in jails.
A second such case was reported last day when a person who was first time traveling to Kuwait escaped from this trap with the timely intervention of his friends and relatives.
A similar case was reported two weeks back, where a Kuwait based Indian managed a lucky escape when he did not take a parcel given to him from a friend while returning after his annual vacation. He was approached by a person with a request to take three sets of Jeans pant to Kuwait for his friend but he did not take them with him as the weight of the baggage was above the stipulated quantity. The person who approached him in Kuwait became angry when he realized that he had not brought the dress. He grew suspicious about the behavior of the person and asked his relatives back home to check them. When they checked the jeans, it was found out that small packets of brown sugar were concealed in their pockets. Local people in Kerala later detained one man who came to collect the jeans and handed him over to Kerala Police.
Like this, another case was reported last day while a new comer was traveling to Kuwait, a friend requested him to take a packet of pickle for his friend. Remembering the first incident, the relatives and friends told him to open the pickle packet and he was shocked to find a packet of drugs hidden inside the pickle box. He left the packet there and came to Kuwait. According to sources, the friend who came to collect the pickle packet in Kuwait confessed that it was for his own use and not for trafficking. He was handed over to Kuwaiti authorities for further questioning.
According to Kerala Police, there is a gang from the state who runs a racket that sends drugs concealed in garments and other materials using unsuspecting carriers, which is alarming to the NRIs who takes parcels from their friends while coming to Kuwait.
Its almost 2 months now, an Indian National Mr Melvin Fernandez is in Kuwait jail for bringing a parcel given to him by his neighbor to deliver it in Kuwait. The packet contained some tablets which are banned in Kuwait and Melvin has landed in Kuwait jail.
It is always advisable to check the parcel thoroughly and have full knowledge of the parcels you carry before boarding the flight or else you may end up in soup.
In another case, a taxi driver is in Kuwait jail with charges of drug trafficking. According to the driver, he was running his taxi with a passenger and when the taxi reached near a police check point, the passenger got down from taxi and ran away as he didn’t have valid civil id with him. Police on checking the taxi found packet of drugs, which was left behind by the passenger. The taxi driver is now in jail for drug case.
There are several medicines which are available in India but banned in Kuwait. One should be very careful in dealing with such medicines and must know the rules when bringing medicines to Kuwait. Ignorance is not an excuse in the eyes of the law.
s