20 arrested on drug smuggling charge

By A Staff Reporter

Kathmandu, Oct. 22: A statement by the Narcotics Control Bureau of Nepal Police on October 20 showed that 20 individuals were arrested on charge of smuggling various drugs into the Kathmandu Valley over October 12-19.

Brown sugar, also known as heroin, cannabis and several pharmaceutical drugs worth more than a million were arrested from the smugglers during the eight-day period, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) informed. The NCB seized a total of 33.4-gram brown sugar, 208-gram cannabis and 2,140 ampules of pharmaceutical drugs alongside Rs. 1,125,500 in cash from the arrested individuals. 

Meanwhile, daily news bulletins of Nepal Police Headquarters showed that other units of the law enforcement agency arrested 42 other smugglers and peddlers from different parts of the country with similar drugs during the same period.

On October 12, the NCB started its operation by arresting 36-year-old Gyaljen Sherpa, a resident of Solukhumbu district, with three-gram heroin from Chabahil, Kathmandu.

Nepal Police arrested eight other individuals with 41.5-gram heroine and 31.05-kilogram cannabis from different parts of the country on the same day.

On October 13, three individuals – Dinesh Tamang, Srijana Rai and Krishna Tamang – were held with a total of 27-gram brown sugar from Kapan area of Kathmandu. The trio hailed from Ilam district. During the same day, four others were arrested with 570 tablets of pharmaceutical drugs and 12.5-kilogram cannabis.

On October 14, the NCB had busted two different drug rackets operating in Kathmandu. Sandip Das, Dipu Prasad Kuswaha, Shree Krishna Bhandari and Melina Bhandari were held with a total of 1,300 pieces of different pharmaceutical drugs.

One of their associate Upendra Prasad Kuswaha was arrested from Parsa district. The racket used to smuggle the drugs into Kathmandu from India via Parsa.

Likewise, another racket operating through the same route was also busted by the NCB on the same day. Krisan Sah Teli, 19, of Parsa, was arrested with 600 pieces of several restricted medicines misused for recreation from Swayambhu area. 

During investigation, the NCB found that Krisan was helped by Chandan Mahato, 19, and Subash Sahani, 23. The duo hailed from the village of Krisan and were arrested from Parsa.

Other units of Nepal Police had arrested five individuals with 4.8-gram brown sugar, 372 ampules of pharmaceutical drugs and 4.5-kg cannabis from across the country on October 14.

The NCB then arrested four more smugglers of a racket with 4.6-gram heroine and Rs. 1,125,000 in cash from Kathmandu on October 16. Among the four, 37-year-old Sharmila Tamang of Dhading operated an eatery at Ward No. 16 of Kathmandu Metropolitan City.

On October 19, the NCB arrested two individuals – Sachin Devkota of Gorkha and Saurabh Sandil of Kathmandu – as they arrived at the postal customs office in Dillibazar, Kathmandu, to collect a parcel. The parcel had contained 208-gram cannabis. 

Over October 16-19, other units of Nepal Police had arrested 17 smugglers with 124.12-gram heroin, 87.4-kilogram cannabis and 1,157 tablets of different pharmaceutical drugs from different parts of the country.

Nepal Police officers informed that the drugs, other than cannabis, are smuggled from India through Terai districts. The drugs are then transported to different parts of the country.

Talking to The Rising Nepal earlier SP Yogendra Kumar Khadka of the NCB informed that the bureau tries to bust the overall racket, from cross-border smugglers to peddlers within the country, when they come across any perpetrators.

Meanwhile, seven others were arrested on October 20 with 33.5-gram heroin, 1,338 tablets of pharmaceutical drugs and 50 bottles of 100-ml agjiplone from across the country.

Officers argue that the rise in drug smuggling was the result of rising demands, mostly from youths.