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KUWAIT CITY - A Kuwaiti court has sentenced a member of the ruling Al-Sabah family to death for drugs trafficking, a first in the oil-rich Gulf state.
The court, whose rulings can be challenged, also fined the royal, whose name was given as Sheikh Talal, about US$35,000 ($51,250).
Another three people were sentenced to life in jail, including a Bidoon (stateless Arab), a Bangladeshi and an Indian.
Two others, a Lebanese and an Iraqi, were sentenced to seven years in jail each.
Kuwaiti police arrested the group in April last year with a large drugs haul, including at least 10kg of cocaine and 120kg of hashish.
The arrest was made on the orders of Kuwait's Interior and Defence Minister Sheikh Jaber al-Mubarak al-Sabah, who is a leading figure in the ruling family.
- AFP