Five alleged smugglers of precursor chemicals busted

KATHMANDU: The Narcotics Control Bureau of Nepal Police said it recently arrested five persons including an Indian national for their alleged involvement in smuggling of precursor chemicals and raw materials of illegal drugs.

Precursor chemicals, also known as scheduled substances or drug precursors, are the substances used in the illegal manufacture of narcotic and psychoactive drugs.

The five were arrested from assorted locations of the nation under the Operation Pseudo, the NCB informed organising a press conference in Kathmandu today.

The suspects have been identified as Mohit Halan (28) from Birgunj-14 of Parsa, Dilip Pandit (35) from Raxaul of India, Ratan Lal Sanghai (66) from Indrachok of Kathmandu, Shyam Tamang Moktan (46) from Mechinagar-10 of Jhapa and Badri Ban (43) from Sinamangal of Kathmandu.

At first, police had nabbed Halan on last Wednesday from Arya Pharma Lab Pvt Ltd in Gadhimai-7 of Bara in possession of 20.125 kg ephedrine and pseudoephedrine.

The drugs were hidden in a bag inside his car in tablet and powder forms.

On the very day, based on a tip-off, Pandit, an employee of the company, was arrested from Kamalpokhari of Kathmandu.

Based on Pandit's statement, police later raided the godown of Sanghai Plastic Industries Pvt Ltd and found 471 kg raw materials of illegal drugs hidden in a container in the tablet form.

Then, police had nabbed Sanghai, one of the operators of the plastic industry. He was arrested from Koteshwor of Kathmandu on Saturday.

Also based on Pandit's statement, police had apprehended Tamang Moktan and Ban from Sinamangal and Kalanki of Kathmandu respectively, on Thursday.

The duo were involved in smuggling of the contraband to India via the Kakadbhitta border point in Jhapa, according to police.

Police said they would be booked under the Narcotic Drugs (Control) Act, 1976.