ULAN BATOR, June 26 (Xinhua) -- A total of 91 drug-related cases have been registered across Mongolia in the first half of this year, up 78.4 percent from the same period last year, a division of the Mongolian State Investigation Department said in a statement Tuesday.

The Anti-Drug Control Division released the data on the occasion of the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, which falls on June 26 each year.

A lack of awareness of drug laws and attempting to make easy money are part of the reasons for the significant growth of drug-related crimes, the statement said.

A total of 201 people are being investigated in these cases, eight of whom are under the age of 18.

As of June 20, 45 Mongolian citizens have been detained abroad for drug trafficking, according?to the statement.??