Kuwait City ? A court has convicted a member of Kuwait’s ruling family for drug trafficking and it condemned him to death, according to a ruling obtained Monday.

It is believed to be the first time that a member of a ruling family in one of the Gulf Arab states has received the death sentence for a drug offense.

The crimes of Sheik Talal Nasser Al Sabah “threatened society : especially young people,” who bought hashish and cocaine from him, Judge Humoud al-Mutawah said in his verdict Sunday.

Sheik Talal had “willingly walked the path of evil” and “deserved no mercy,” al-Mutawah said.

It was not immediately clear how closely related Sheik Talal is to the head of the ruling family, which has hundreds of members.

The judgment can be appealed.

The panel of three judges also found Sheik Talal guilty of laundering the money he made from trafficking, and illegal possession of two pistols and a shotgun.