DHARAN: Police arrested 695 individuals in Sunsari district for drug trafficking in the last fiscal year 2024/25, according to the District Police Office.
Among those arrested were 650 men and 45 women. During the same period, police registered 460 drug-related cases and seized 14,501 kg of marijuana, 738 grams and 428 milligrams of brown sugar, and 428,297 tablets and capsules of various types.
District Police Office spokesperson DSP Yograj Khatiwada informed that in Shrawan of the current fiscal year 2082/83 alone, 66 drug cases were filed, with 103 men and eight women arrested.
Police also confiscated 2,331 kg of marijuana and 429 grams and 895 milligrams of brown sugar during this time.
Khatiwada said that the majority of those arrested were youth. In the previous fiscal year 2080/81, 409 people (376 men and 33 women) were arrested in 241 drug-related cases. The data indicates that drug-related arrests are increasing annually.
Most individuals involved in drug use and trafficking are wage laborers or unemployed youth, primarily aged 19 to 35. Over the past three fiscal years, 920 people from this age group were arrested. In the same period, 27 individuals under 18, 228 aged 35–50, and 40 above 50 were also arrested.
Superintendent of Police Suman Kumar Timalsina said that police have been conducting awareness programs in schools, communities, and public places targeting youth.
Dharan Sub-Metropolitan City has also been organizing anti-drug awareness campaigns every Friday. Mayor Harkaraj Rai emphasized the importance of prevention at the household and school levels, urging parents to monitor their family members closely.
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