Khaberni - The security confrontation circle expanded in Kuwait to deter anyone tempted to smuggle the state's resources and exploit the support system, where the Kuwaiti Ministry of Interior continued its efforts to control smugglers. It succeeded in successive control operations during the year 2025, covering the sea, land ports, and internal warehouses, indicating a shift from individual attempts to organized networks targeting subsidized diesel and supplies through illicit means, but the Ministry of Interior stands vigilant against these networks.
The cases recorded last year reflect the scale of organized activities that targeted subsidized fuel, as the Ministry of Interior announced on more than one occasion the arrest of dozens of suspects in smuggling and selling diesel cases, both within territorial waters and beyond, along with several attempts to export using non-compliant customs data.
The facts showed a diversity of smuggling routes between sea and land and internal locations, reflecting the evolution of methods used and their expanding scope.
One of the announced cases included the seizure of 33 containers loaded with petroleum materials along with machines and pumps inside a farm, while other cases revealed 10 diesel containers ready for smuggling within special sites, in addition to foiling the shipment of 5 containers disguised as construction materials. Maritime incidents also recorded selling subsidized diesel within territorial waters, resulting in the arrest of 18 individuals involved in selling the subsidized fuel for monetary amounts collected through illegal means.
Thus, the declared facts during the year 2025 indicate at least 50 containers loaded with petroleum materials seized in various smuggling cases, excluding the quantities seized in other incidents outside the scope of containers.
The seized quantities
Official data showed that the quantities seized in these cases amounted to thousands of liters of fuel, benefiting from the price difference between the subsidized local price and resale prices, whether in the black market or abroad, raising the total value of the seizures to amounts estimated in the millions, and forming a primary driver for the expansion of these law-violating activities.
Simultaneously, exploitation attempts extended to subsidized supply materials, as concerned authorities announced the seizure of thousands of supply goods, including key materials such as rice, flour, milk, and oils, which are commodities most targeted due to the high demand and ease of sale, estimating the total value of the seizures at over a million dinars.
In this context, the Cabinet reaffirmed in its decisions to prevent the export or sale of subsidized supply materials to those not entitled, charging concerned governmental bodies to tighten control and intensify coordination to prevent these materials from leaving through land, sea, and air ports and taking legal action against offenders, in order to protect public funds.
These cases, with their numbers and diverse routes, confirm that dealing with subsidy smuggling now relies on a proactive supervisory approach and integration between security and regulatory agencies, limiting the exploitation of the support system and ensuring its direction to its rightful beneficiaries, without compromising legal reinforcement or enforcement efficiency.
