The Royal Bhutan Police has recorded a significant increase in drug-related cases surpassing previous records. They recorded more than 950 drug-related cases and arrested over 1,700 individuals, making it the highest so far. The surge is attributed to heightened surveillance. The cases include possession of various substances such as narcotics drugs and psychotropic substances, and substance abuse. The RBP registered 721 drug-related cases and arrested nearly 1,600 individuals in the whole of last year.
Out of more than 1,700 individuals arrested this year, 95 are females, and 160 are youth. The largest group among those arrested consists of 700 unemployed individuals.
According to the police, the abuse of pharmaceutical drugs ranks highest followed by the use of multi-drugs and marijuana.
They attributed the increase to expanded human resources and enhanced road checks. Additionally, they are also screening youths returning from border areas and holders of professional driving licenses to prevent drug-related cases.
‘‘We are using sniffer dogs for detection and inspection, We do patrol day and night. Moreover, we are doing random checks along the highway. We also examine the supply source of pharmaceutical sources from India. And for that, we have recruited people to monitor the Indian places and highways. We have also conducted coordination meetings with our Indian counterparts and they have started to arrest people,’’ said Dorjee Khandu, Senior Superintendent of Police, Narcotic Drugs and Other Vices Division.
In terms of locations, Thimphu recorded the highest number of cases and arrests followed by Chhukha and Sarpang, Samtse, Paro and Samdrup Jongkhar due to their large population and proximity to the border areas.
Similarly, 65 arrested people are currently under investigation, 294 have been charge-sheeted for court proceedings and 1,399 have been referred to the Pema Center.
Despite the achievements, challenges continue in detecting drugs highlighting the need for detection kits.
‘‘If we need to carry out thorough checking, we have to unload and check all the items one by one. This ends up creating a lot of inconvenience for the people. To resolve this, we need an X-ray machine in checkpoints or drug detection kits. This will benefit us immensely,’’ added the senior superintendent of police.
Since 1989, the Royal Bhutan Police has recorded more than 7,300 drug-related cases and arrested nearly 15,000 individuals.
During the 115th National Day Royal Address last year, His Majesty The King emphasised that drugs and substance abuse pose a huge threat to the country’s national security, the well-being of the people and children, and ultimately the future of the nation. His Majesty stressed acting now before it is too late and doing whatever it takes to eradicate this threat.
Karma Wangdi
Edited by Sonam Pem
