A new advisory by the Indian embassy in Kuwait cautions Indian nationals against becoming inadvertent drug carriers and how to prevent prescription drugs from being mistaken for narcotics.
Alarmed by the increase in the number of Indian nationals serving time in Kuwaiti prisons for drug and narcotics-related charges, the embassy has stepped up efforts to caution against drug use and possession.
The Arab nation has strict rules against drug and narcotic abuse, with stringent punishments ranging from life imprisonment to even execution.
According to the embassy, there has been an increase in the arrest and detention of Indian nationals in cases of alleged possession of drugs and narcotics in Kuwait.
“At present, more than 60 per cent of total Indian nationals have been detained and are serving sentences in the Central jail of Kuwait in cases relating to drugs/narcotics,” the embassy said in its advisory.
Pointing out that its role in such arrests is “restricted to a minimum,” the embassy has warned that in Kuwait, a person is considered guilty until proven innocent, the judicial process is time-consuming and bail in such cases is usually not given.
The advisory has prepared a list of illegal substances, club drugs, designer drugs, antidepressants, barbiturates, cannabis, hallucinogens, and amphetamines that Indian nationals need to watch out for and cautions them against carrying consignments whose contents they are not sure of.
It has also advised travellers to have a doctor’s certificate if they are carrying prescription drugs and to ensure that the quantity does not exceed two weeks’ dosage.
Doctor’s prescriptions have also been made mandatory for those using Ayurvedic and Homeopathic medicines, which owing to their composition can be “construed as containing alcohol while narcotics can be camouflaged as white sugar pills.”
