Dhangadhi, July 28: The National Forensic Laboratory in Dhangadhi has reported that the overwhelming majority of samples it examined during the last fiscal year were related to narcotic drugs, reflecting the growing burden of drug-related investigations in western Nepal.
According to the laboratory’s data, 1,033 of the 1,079 samples tested during the 2025/26 fiscal year (2082/83 BS)—or 95.7 percent—were related to chemistry and narcotics.
The remaining samples included examinations of disputed documents, DNA, and biology-serology cases.
Laboratory Chief Birendra Chaudhary said that in Asar, the final month of the fiscal year, the laboratory tested 109 samples, of which 104 samples from 89 separate cases were related to narcotic drugs.
The laboratory’s annual report for the previous fiscal year 2081/82 BS also highlighted the heavy workload associated with drug-related cases.
During that year, the laboratory received 3,380 samples from 1,336 cases, including:
- 1,269 narcotics-related cases
- 31 biology and DNA cases
- 36 disputed document cases
The Dhangadhi laboratory serves not only the districts of Kailali, Kanchanpur, Dadeldhura, Baitadi and Darchula in Sudurpashchim Province, but also handles forensic samples from Karnali and Lumbini provinces.
The laboratory was established at the end of the 2019/20 fiscal year (2076/77 BS) as a branch of the National Forensic Laboratory headquartered in Khumaltar, Kathmandu. #nepal
