Sunsari. Police have arrested 695 people involved in drug trade in Sunsari in the last fiscal year 2081/82 BS.

According to the District Police Office, 650 men and 45 women have been arrested. In the same period, 460 drug-related cases were registered. Police seized 14,501 kg of marijuana, 738 grams of 428 mg of brown sugar and 428,297 different types of tablets and capsules during the period.

According to Deputy Superintendent of Police Yograj Khatiwada, spokesperson of the District Police Office, 103 men and eight women have been arrested out of 66 drug-related cases registered in the current fiscal year 2082/83 BS. He said 2,331 kg of marijuana and 429 grams of 895 mg of brown sugar were seized during the period.

According to Spokesperson Khatiwada, most of those arrested are youths. In the previous fiscal year 2080/81 BS, 409 people, including 376 men and 33 women, were arrested in 241 cases. Recent statistics show that the number of people involved in drug trafficking is increasing every year.

According to the police, most of the people involved in drug use and trade are wage labourers and unemployed youths. According to the age group, the involvement of young people between the ages of 19 and 35 is highest. In the previous three fiscal years, 920 people of the same group were arrested, 27 people below 18 years of age, 228 people in the age group of 35 to 50 years and 40 people above 50 years of age were arrested.

Superintendent of Police Suman Kumar Timalsina shared that they have been conducting awareness programmes against drugs in schools, communities and public places targeting the youth.

Dharan Sub-Metropolitan City has also been conducting awareness campaign against drugs every Friday. Mayor Harkaraj Rai stressed the need to create awareness from home and school levels and said that every parent should monitor their family members.