KATHMANDU, SEPTEMBER 21
The Narcotics Control Bureau has arrested nine persons for their alleged involvement in trafficking hashish abroad on the pretext of supplying handicraft items.
They were arrested over a period of 10 days from Kathmandu valley and Nuwakot and the NCB seized 7.929 kilograms of hashish.
The drug smugglers have been identified as Shyam Prasad Roka, Bir Bahadur Roka, Dil Bahadur Roka, Anil Bahadur Ghale, Sun Bahadur Gurung, Jit Bahadur Tamang, Krishna Bahadur Tamang, Urpa Tamang and Bir Bahadur Tamang.
The NCB had launched further investigation into the drug smuggling racket after it arrested Shyam Prasad Roka and Bir Bahadur Roka from Tribhuvan International Airport with 4.35 kilograms of hashish being smuggled to Qatar.
Based on their statements, the NCB arrested others with additional 3.57 kilograms of hashish.
According to Superintendent of Police Jeevan Kumar Shrestha, the racketeers were long involved in smuggling hashing abroad by concealing it inside various handicraft items made of wool and traditional Nepali paper.
Of them, Urpa Tamang was released from jail in 2011 after serving 19 years for smuggling heroin. He was back in the drug trafficking ring after the release.
A version of this article appears in the print on September 22 2021, of The Himalayan Times.
