5-Year Prison Sentence for a Famous Kuwaiti Artist on Drug Charges

A Kuwaiti criminal court sentenced a famous artist to 5 years in prison with hard labor for drug possession and a fine of 5,000 dinars. The defendant was arrested upon his return to the country in July when he arrived at the airport with illegal substances. The Kuwaiti criminal court ruled to imprison the artist with hard labor, and according to the local newspaper "Al-Rai," the court refused to disclose the artist's name. Although his name was not mentioned, local accounts and many members of the public on social media confirmed that it is the well-known Kuwaiti actor Ali Kakouli, though there is no confirmation of this information. Kuwaiti newspapers reported at the end of July that the public prosecutor's office had ordered the detention of a Kuwaiti actor for 21 days on charges of bringing drugs from abroad. At that time, the newspapers only mentioned the actor's initials "A.K," without explicitly stating his name, but Kuwaiti activists claimed that the accused is the actor Ali Kakouli.