KATHMANDU: Police said today they have arrested two foreign women in possession of a huge cache of liquid cocaine worth millions from Kathmandu.

Acting on a tip-off, a team deployed from the Nepal Police's Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) nabbed the suspects from the Chhetrapati-Thamel yesterday. They have been identified as 37-year-old South African national Msane Mpathoni (Passport No. A04668043) and 41-year-old Mercy from Nagaland, India.

The 2.722 litres liquid cocaine was packed in five shampoo bottles, the NCB informed organising a press meeting in Kathmandu today.

According to police, the haul is worth USD 600,000 in the international drug market.

The NCB added that it was the first time they seized liquid cocaine from the Kathmandu Valley.

According to the NCB, Mpathoni had smuggled in the contraband from Brazil via Dubai. Preliminary

investigation showed that she is associated with a racket that smuggled cocaine to Europe from India and

Philippines in the past also, the NCB said.

Police claimed that Mpathoni intended to smuggle the contraband to European countries including Netherlands and Italy via India.

Last year, police had arrested a Malaysian woman, identified as Marina Binti Jamaludding, in possession of 11 kg cocaine from the Tribhuvan International Airport.

International drug cartels have been using Nepal as a transit point to smuggle contraband to different Asian and European countries.