July 2026
16 reports. Seizures 11 · Arrests 2 · Prosecutions 2 · Sentences 1
South Korea's cannabis arrests fall by a quarter as smuggling hits a record
The 2025 drug crime white paper recorded 2,459 cannabis offenders, down 25.9% from 3,317 in 2024 and 4,085 in 2023; use fell to 1,016 while smuggling rose to 335. Overall drug offenders rose 1.7% to 23,403, and smuggling offenders hit a record 1,772. Seizures included 128.6 kg of herbal cannabis and 5.6 kg of resin.
Yemen's government reports about 1.3 tonnes of drugs seized in first half of 2026
The interior ministry's drug-control administration reported about 1.3 tonnes of drugs seized in government-controlled areas in the first half of 2026: 613.7 kg of hashish, 617.6 kg of methamphetamine, 100 kg of heroin, 4 kg of opium, more than a million Captagon pills and 41,768 other pills.
Police seize 3.3 tonnes of cannabis in Saptari
On the night of 23 July 2026 police in Saptari stopped three vehicles at Tilathi Koiladi-5 and found 3,332 kg of cannabis packed in 100 sacks. The drivers fled and no arrests were reported. It was one of the largest single cannabis seizures in Nepal, in a period when police reported a record 51,439 kg seized in the previous fiscal year.
South Korea blocks 22 imported 'hemp' foods after finding drugs
The food and drug ministry tested 32 overseas-purchase products marketed with cannabis, hemp or kanna and found controlled substances in 22 of them, including cannabis compounds and the temporary narcotic mesembrine. It asked customs to hold the products and platforms to block their sale, and warned that importing or eating them is punishable.
South Korea indicts 12 people for growing cannabis at home
The joint drug headquarters indicted 12 people, six of them detained, after a four-month sweep of home and factory grows; those charged included a hip-hop group member, an English teacher and a composer. Investigators seized about 3 kg of cannabis, 39 plants and cannabis jelly, and said ordinary residents were treating home growing as an entry drug.
Ecuador court jails man for 22 years over 1.3 tonnes of marijuana
A court in Macará sentenced Eduardo V. to 22 years for large-scale drug trafficking after police found 1,299.65 kg of marijuana hidden in metal beams in a truck. Prosecutors said the load was bound for Peru and then Chile.
Charged 1Cannabis 1,299.7 kgPrison 22 yearsKyrgyzstan reports three arrests over cannabis teas and oils
Police reported detaining three suspects after investigating cannabis products prepared for a festival in Tuura-Suu and searching homes and a shop.[@1] The Interior Ministry said laboratory tests found marijuana in two sample packages; searches also recovered cannabis oil, marijuana, seeds and products marketed as teas and other goods.[@1] A supply investigation was continuing when the arrests…
Syria seizes half a tonne of hashish in Sweida
The Drug Enforcement Administration said it foiled an international smuggling attempt in the southeastern countryside of Sweida and seized nearly half a tonne of hashish. It said the drugs belonged to outlaw groups operating in the province and that the operation was run with the Internal Security Command in the Badia. The announcement gave no arrest figure.
Bangladesh counts 105 border points used by traffickers
A report in July 2026 counted at least 105 border points in 18 districts used to bring in narcotics of all kinds. Authorities seized 96,358 kg of cannabis in 2025, down from 114,345 kg in 2024.
Bangladesh arrests 20,439 on drug charges in a 72-day sweep
Police headquarters said 20,439 people were arrested on narcotics charges during a nationwide operation from 1 May to 12 July 2026, part of nearly 117,000 arrests for all offences. Officers filed 14,157 drug cases and seized 5,336 packets of cannabis along with yaba, heroin, phensedyl and liquor. The operation ended the day before parliament passed the 2026 narcotics amendment.
Kazakhstan's 2026 cannabis campaign finds 40 plantations in ten days
In the first ten days of the 2026 Karasora operation, police recorded 187 drug offences, including 46 sales, 40 cases of cultivating drug plants and four of smuggling. They seized 760 kg of drugs, among them more than 121 kg of synthetic drugs, and 266 kg of precursors. A separate case in Astana involved 245 g of alpha-PVP packed in 227 sachets.
Palestinian police seize 23 kg of hashish in Jericho
The PA anti-narcotics police seized 230 slabs of hashish weighing 23 kg in Jericho and the Jordan Valley, worth more than 500,000 shekels. Police said the haul was meant for distribution in several governorates and some for smuggling across the border; no arrests were announced in the first statement.
California seizes 63,000 pounds of unlicensed cannabis in three months
Between April and June 2026, California's cannabis task force destroyed or seized 63,204 pounds of cannabis and 89,257 plants in ten counties, and arrested 24 people.
Arrested 24Plants destroyed 89,257Cannabis 28,669 kgThai police warn couriers after 4.5 tonnes seized abroad
Thai police warned travellers after 4.5 tonnes of cannabis said to have come from Thailand were seized in Hong Kong, Indonesia and Poland: 23 kg in Hong Kong, 3.37 tonnes in Indonesia and 1.2 tonnes hidden in construction bricks in Poland. The force said couriers could face life imprisonment or the death penalty abroad, although Thailand itself has no death penalty for cannabis.
Indonesia seizes 3.37 tonnes of Thai cannabis buds in East Java
A joint BNN, customs and East Java police operation from 29 June to 1 July 2026 found 3.37 tonnes of cannabis buds from Thailand in 500 suitcases and 80 cartons at a warehouse in Gresik. Twelve people were arrested, including a Chinese national; BNN said the buds were intended to be turned into THC vape liquid.
Uzbek security services find 714 cannabis plants in a Shahrisabz greenhouse
The State Security Service said a man in Shahrisabz had built a greenhouse on a 5.3-hectare plot at his home and was growing 714 cannabis plants for sale; the dried material weighed 201 kg. In a separate case in Tashkent, a previously convicted man was stopped with 1.994 kg of hashish said to have been smuggled from a neighbouring country. Criminal cases were opened in both.