Illegal trafficking of drugs in the country is one of the concerns shared by the Bhutan Narcotics Control Authority (BNCA) and the police.
Police arrested 1,188 people for illegal trafficking of drugs last year alone and 1055 in 2017.
To curb drug trafficking, the BNCA is training police officers for effective and uniform implementation of laws on and related to drugs and tobacco.
More than 15 police officers from southern and western dzongkhags are attending the training, which began in Thimphu yesterday.
On the first day, the officers were trained on identification and classification of Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substance (NDPS) and tobacco among others.
“Police is one of the main partners when it comes to implementing tobacco and narcotics control act. The officers in command are the key officials in their jurisdictions,” Chhimi Dorji, the Deputy Chief program Officer with BNCA, said.
He added with different drugs being identified, it is important to enhance their knowledge on identifying those drugs and also the root cause of illicit trafficking.
The same training would be provided to the police officers in the eastern dzongkhags from 17 January.
The BNCA also plans to conduct similar training for other law enforcement officers in the customs and trade offices, and the Road Safety and Transport Authority (RSTA).
The three-day training is funded by the World Health Organization (WHO).
