Kathmandu, March 28

A Nepali and an Australian were arrested while receiving a consignment of 54 kg methamphetamine from Brisbane of Australia, recently.

Bhupendra Tamang and Australian citizen Raymond John Marsden were arrested by an Australian Federal Police team in connection with carrying the contraband.

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• Liquid cocaine worth millions seized

The AFP seized a consignment of 54 kg methamphetamine in Brisbane. The drug was supplied from Guangzhou of China via sea cargo claiming it was an interior decoration material, in January.

The seized consignment of methamphetamine hydrochloride, with the trade name Desoxyn in USA, has an international market value of USD 2.7 million.

After the AFP reported to the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) of Nepal that some of the suppliers of the illegal drug working in China were Nepali citizens, the NCB arrested three others for further investigation on March 20.

The arrested are: Manish Shrestha of Batase VDC-4 in Sindhupalchok district, who has a fancy store in Kapan, Budhanilakantha Municipality-12 in Kathmandu; Bikram Lamichhane of Khahare, Tripureshwar VDC-3 in Dhading district, who is also owner of Himalayan Trek in Thamel; and Hom Bahadur Tamang of Dangsing VDC-5 of Nuwakot district.

Investigation showed that Lamichhane had asked Shrestha to give him the name and contact of the consignees in Australia, on the request of Tamang.

Tamang had promised to pay Shrestha and Lamichhane a sum of Rs 150,000 each for the business.

Further, on the request of Tamang, Lamichhane had emailed the name and contact of consignees to Dharma Pakhrin, a resident of Bangkok in Thailand, and also received email about the contact of the Chinese consignor Frank.

Meanwhile, the three arrestees have been remanded to custody by Kathmandu District Court, for further investigation.