Royal Bhutan Police (RBP) in Thimphu has seen a decrease in the number of drug related cases in 2020 and 2021. In 2019, the total cases registered stood at 304 cases with 660 arrests, while the year 2020 saw 244 cases with 567 arrests, showing a decrease by 60 cases.
Meanwhile, as per the RBP statistics, there are 8 registered tobacco related cases with 14 (10 male and 4 female) arrests made in 2019. In 2020, the police received 7 cases with 20 (13 male and 7 female) arrests. From 2020 till now, no single case has been reported in connection to tobacco.
Of the total arrests made in 2019, 538 are male and 123 are female offenders. The highest arrests at 547 is for abusers followed by 96 arrests were made for illicit trafficking of controlled substances.
As per the crime rate statistics, 256 unemployed people, the highest number, were arrested, while 196 students, the second highest number, were arrested. RBP also arrested 8 tourist guides in 2019. In addition, 8 people were juveniles from the total arrests.
In 2020, there were 511 male and 56 female arrested. Offence wise, abuser contributed the highest with 445 arrests followed by 50 arrests for illicit trafficking of controlled substances.
The unemployed recorded the highest arrests with 281 arrests, and as like in previous year, students stood second with 159 arrests . However, no juvenile was arrested in 2020.
Police said that in the two years (2019 and 2020), from the total arrests, RBP seized 66,674 capsules of SP+ and 2,260 tablets of N10. These are the top two seized narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances while the other seized drugs are hashish, corex, puriya, thinner, cathinone and crystal meth.
They also have seized 31,854 pieces of tobacco products in two years.
In 2021, police have arrested 56 people with 25 registered cases. As always, abusers contributed the highest with 48 arrests. From the total arrests, 48 are male and 8 are female. In 2021, the arrests of a student overtook unemployed with 26 (students) arrests.
Maximum arrests are abusers with 48 while they have arrested only 7 persons in connection to illicit trafficking.
RBP seized 89 capsules of SP+, 4 tablets of N10 and 14 grams of puriya.
An official from the Thimphu Police Station said that the number of cases might have gone down due to most cases going unreported or undetected. He also said that the probable cause could be because of the closure of border in the southern belt due to the pandemic.
Now that all the border gates are closed there is no source of supply and it is obvious that the users or peddlers will have no access like before, he added.
Police have shared that this is positive impact of the pandemic whereby it is good to see no single case of tobacco products this year so far.
Police said that maximum abusers are students and all the abusers are forwarded to BNCA for TAP program. And those who were arrested for illicit trafficking will be forwarded to OAG for prosecution.