Kathmandu, January 16

The Narcotics Control Bureau arrested a woman for allegedly trying to smuggle hashish abroad as ‘a parcel package of Tibetan bdellium incense’ through General Post Office, Sundhara, today.

NCB said Kanchhi Maya Ghale, 39, of Kaule Rural Municipality-3, Nuwakot, currently residing in Kathmandu, was preparing to get the ‘parcel of 144 packets of incense’ containing 15 kg hashish registered with the post office when plainclothes cops arrested her on the basis of a tip-off. NCB said the destination of the intercepted hashish was Hong Kong.

Though Ghale told NCB that it was her first attempt to smuggle drugs under the cloak of legitimate parcel, she is suspected of being involved in drug trafficking for long. She used to work as an entertainer or dancer in a dance bar. NCB source said she had also acted as a model in some music videos.

Ghale has been kept in the custody of NCB for further investigation to establish her link to drug dealers, if any. Officials said drug traffickers might have been smuggling contraband abroad via post office after police continued to intercept drug carriers at Tribhuvan International Airport.

Earlier, NCB had arrested several persons for smuggling drugs by concealing the contraband in consignments of henna, hemp oil and handicraft items.

Sending consignment of drugs through parcel is relatively easier as the packages are not thoroughly monitored, thanks to lack of scanners and sole dependence on random checking in post office. Nepal has always been an attractive transit point for international drug traffickers and they are now seen to be taking advantage of the ill-equipped postal office to smuggle drugs.

Police have stepped up vigil at post offices and private couriers after the law  enforcement agency found drug racketeers switching to air parcel and courier services to smuggle the contraband abroad.