Key Takeways:
- Police recovered around 2,566kg of marijuana from the truck
- The contraband was hidden among sacks of cauliflower
- Truck driver Raju Rai and assistant Sandeep Rai were detained
- Police are probing the suspected trafficking route and possible involvement of others
Police have seized around 2,566kg of marijuana hidden among sacks of cauliflower in a truck in Sunsari district and arrested the driver and his assistant, authorities said.
The marijuana was recovered during a vehicle check at Sakhuwa Gachhi Chowk in Inaruwa Municipality-3 on Monday. Police found 83 sacks of marijuana concealed among sacks of cauliflower in the truck, which was travelling west from the eastern part of the country.
The arrestees have been identified as truck driver Raju Rai, 33, of Shahidbhumi Rural Municipality-2 in Dhankuta, and his assistant Sandeep Rai, 18, from the same locality.
According to Sunsari District Police Office chief Superintendent of Police Pushparaj Mall, the marijuana, truck and both suspects had been taken into custody and that further investigation was under way.
Police said they were preparing to file a case against the two under the Narcotic Drugs Act. Police are seeking to establish where the marijuana was sourced and where it was intended to be delivered.
Police have preliminarily suspected that the marijuana, believed to have been produced in Dhankuta and other hill districts, may have been concealed in the vegetable truck for transport to India. Police are also examining whether other people were involved and are probing the wider trafficking network.