The Royal Bhutan Police recorded 727 drug-related cases and 1,373 arrests in the first six months of 2026, down from 818 cases and 1,583 arrests a year earlier.[1] Cases of trafficking in cannabis and its derivatives rose from three in the first half of 2025 to 13 in 2026, and arrests for that offence rose from five to 26.[1] Illegal possession of cannabis and its derivatives rose from three registered cases and five arrests to 10 cases and 11 arrests.[1]
Police seized 47,427.89 grams of cannabis in the first half of 2026, against 2,371.82 grams in the same period of 2025, an increase of nearly 20 times.[1] Hashish seizures rose from 223 grams to 505.34 grams over the same period.[1] The Bhutanese, reporting the same half-year figures, recorded cannabis seizures rising from 2,371.82 grams in 2025 to 47,427.89 grams in 2026, a 1,900 percent increase, and said the Royal Bhutan Police attributed the rise to stronger enforcement measures.[2] The Bhutanese reported that hashish seizures more than doubled from 223 grams to 505.34 grams and that trafficking and possession cases for cannabis and its derivatives rose from three to 13 and from three to 10 respectively.[2] Substance-abuse offences fell from 650 cases and 1,348 arrests in 2025 to 584 cases and 1,109 arrests in 2026, while brown sugar seizures fell from 29,061.05 grams to 80.17 grams.[1]
Arrests of people under 18 fell from 164 to 118, of those aged 18 to 25 from 675 to 538, and of those over 25 from 744 to 717.[1] Colonel Passang Dorji, deputy chief of the crime and operations department, said the fall came from increased awareness across the 20 dzongkhags and strict enforcement, including drug task forces in the western, southern and eastern regions.[1] Police stations in Pemagatshel, Jomotshangkha, Nganglam, Gedu and Sakteng recorded the most drug cases, with 249, 194, 39, 38 and 35 respectively.[1] Of 713 drug cases counted in the general crime table, 573 were substance abuse cases, and police also recorded 126 cases of illegal sale of inhalants and 12 cases of illegal possession of controlled substances.[1]