BIRENDRANAGAR, Aug 9: Police arrested 1,768 people and registered 993 cases in a nationwide crackdown on drug trafficking during the last fiscal year, according to data from the Narcotics Control Bureau.
Of those arrested, 1,325 were charged and presented before courts. As many as 1,113 defendants, or 84 percent, were remanded in custody for trial, while 212 were released on bail, bureau data shows.
The number of people arrested increased by 5.55 percent compared with the previous fiscal year 2024/25, indicating both the growing challenge of drug trafficking and intensified police enforcement.
Two Indian drug traffickers arrested
Police seized various types of narcotics worth an estimated Rs 857.75 million at market value during the year.
Cocaine accounted for the largest share of the seized drugs by value. Police confiscated 13.347 kg of cocaine worth an estimated Rs 467.15 million, according to Narcotics Control Bureau chief Subas Chandra Bohora.
He said cocaine costs up to around Rs 35,000 per gram. Police also seized 7.8 kg of white heroin, 23.141 kg of brown heroin, 43 kg of opium, 41.5 kg of hashish, 204 kg of Thai cannabis and 1,603 kg of cannabis during the period.
Police also confiscated Rs 11.35 million in cash suspected to have been generated through drug trafficking. Similarly, 115 digital weighing scales, 757 mobile phones, 15 four-wheelers and 83 two-wheelers allegedly used in drug trafficking were seized.
The seizures also indicate links between drug trafficking, organised crime and the use of firearms. Police recovered five pistols and 29 rounds of ammunition during the crackdown.
The high proportion of drug defendants remanded in custody also indicates that courts have taken a serious view of narcotics offences, while suggesting that investigators have been able to present substantial evidence in such cases.
The large-scale seizure of high-value cocaine also highlights the continuing risk of Nepal being used as a transit route for international drug trafficking.
The rise in arrests underscores the need for stronger measures to reduce drug demand, protect young people from substance abuse, strengthen surveillance at border points and coordinate action against transnational trafficking networks.
