A group of 32 Sri Lankan prisoners convicted of drug-related offences in Kuwait returned to Sri Lanka yesterday under a prisoner exchange agreement signed between the two countries in 2007.

The prisoners, who had been serving sentences at Kuwait's Central Jail for charges including drug use, smuggling, and transportation, arrived at Katunayake Airport on a C-17 aircraft, the largest in Kuwait's Air Force fleet.

This is the first implementation of the agreement, facilitated through discussions led by Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Kuwait, Kandeepan Balasubramaniam, since March.

Currently, no Kuwaiti nationals are serving prison sentences in Sri Lanka.