24 people arrested in Mongolian capital over drugs

The Mongolian police on Saturday arrested 24 people over drugs in the country's capital, the National Police Agency (NPA) said on Sunday.

The police made the arrests in their latest operations targeting nightclubs in the Bayangol and Chingeltei districts of Ulan Bator, the police agency said in a statement. The people arrested, who are aged 21-41, all tested positive for drug use, it added.

The police agency said drug-related crimes have been increasing significantly in Mongolia in recent years, with the cases totaling 199 in 2018, up more than 30 percent from the previous year.

In the first half of this year, the Mongolian police arrested 188 people who were involved in 96 drug-related crimes.

According to Mongolian law, a person convicted of drug abuse will get a prison sentence of at least two years.