Key Takeaways:

• Cocaine hidden in blankets, jackets, aprons and neck pillows using silicone moulding
• Police recovered cocaine, passport, voter ID, four phones, suitcase and USD 200
• NCB says method reflects new concealment trend in international trafficking

KATHMANDU, JULY 20 The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has arrested two foreign women and seized 4.28 kilograms of cocaine concealed in clothing using a silicone-based smuggling method, police said Monday. A 62-year-old Colombian national, Yoneth Garzon Caicedo, landed at Tribhuvan International Airport on July 15 via a Qatar Airways flight from Colombia through Doha. The NCB, acting on profiling of foreign arrivals, monitored her movements and conducted a search of her belongings in Thamel, Kathmandu Metropolitan City-16, on Sunday. The search revealed cocaine cleverly concealed inside fabric materials disguised as blankets, sheets, jackets, aprons and neck pillows. During the subsequent investigation, police also arrested a 37-year-old Indian woman, Rebecca Pulle of Manipur, who had travelled to Kathmandu to collect the consignment. Police recovered 4.28kg of cocaine, one passport, an Indian voter identity card, four mobile phones, one suitcase and USD 200 in cash from the suspects. In a statement, the NCB noted the seizure points to a new trend in cocaine trafficking, in which liquid cocaine is mixed with silicone and shaped into wearable fabric products before being smuggled. Authorities said the method appears to be one of the latest concealment techniques used by international drug networks.