Thimphu Once regarded as one of the most peaceful nations in the world. Bhutan is increasingly becoming entangled in South Asia’s growing narcotics trade, with alarming consequences for its youth.
A recent report by Bhutan’s Social and Cultural Affairs Committee (SCAC) reveals that substance abuse has reached “crisis” levels in the Himalayan kingdom. Between 2023 and 2024 alone, 3,678 individuals under the age of 24 were arrested for drug-related offences accounting for more than half of all such arrests in the country. At least 41 deaths from substance abuse have been recorded over the past decade, most linked to pharmaceutical drugs like Spasmo Proxyvon, Relipen and Nitrosun-10.
While heroin and amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) are smuggled into the region from Myanmar, Bhutan faces a unique challenge due to its 699-kilometer porous border with India, proximity to the Siliguri Corridor and access routes to Bangladesh and Nepal. These corridors, already notorious for trafficking drugs into India and Bangladesh, are now increasingly feeding Bhutan’s narcotics problem.
Cannabis cultivation in Bhutan’s southern districts has emerged as the country’s only significant illicit export, with Samdrup Jongkhar acting as the main route for cross-border smuggling into India. Indian security officials also claim large volumes of cannabis from Bhutan are ferried into Bangladesh, pointing to a wider network of demand that includes ATS from Myanmar.
“The same smuggling arteries that bring contraband into northeastern India are now being used for cannabis and pharmaceutical drugs linked to Bhutan,” an Indian official in Assam said, highlighting the region’s growing vulnerability.
The Royal Bhutan Police (RBP) has stepped up its response, including a nationwide cannabis uprooting drive launched four months ago. Thimphu is also strengthening cooperation with India through intelligence-sharing and joint investigations targeting cross-border syndicates. The SCAC has urged stronger laws, broader powers for the National Drug Task Force, and better prevention and rehabilitation measures to counter the deepening crisis.
For now, Bhutan’s drug problem remains smaller in scale compared to neighboring South Asian countries. But experts warn that if unchecked, its geographic location and porous borders could transform the kingdom from a victim into a vital link in the regional narcotics grid.
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