334 arrested in drug-related cases in Kanchanpur

MAHENDRANAGAR: Police in Kanchanpur took action against 334 individuals in drug-related cases over the past year, including 305 men and 29 women.

According to Khadka Khatri, chief of the District Police Office Kanchanpur, the arrests were made between April and mid-Chait. During this period, police seized 753 grams of brown heroin, 33.364 kilograms of hashish, and 2.042 kilograms of marijuana, among other substances. A total of 201 cases were registered.

Khatri said police have been running both enforcement and awareness campaigns, stressing that rising drug use requires broader community vigilance. He urged local residents to report drug-related activities and called for increased awareness at the community level.

Authorities attribute the growing problem partly to smuggling across the open border with India. The issue has also been raised in Nepal-India border meetings, with calls for stronger cooperation to control trafficking.

Khatri noted that around 35 percent of inmates in Kanchanpur jail are linked to drug cases and emphasized that controlling drug abuse requires collective efforts from families, communities, and institutions, not just law enforcement.