Bhairahawa, June 23:

A joint team comprising a special squad of the District Police Office (DPO) and a Drugs Law Implementation Unit squad from Kathmandu arrested three persons with 185 kg of hashish here last night.

“Three persons, carrying 185 kg hashish wrapped in plastic and stuffed in sacks, were arrested from Nayasadak of Siddharth-anagar-7 at 11 pm,” Rabiraj Shrestha, Bhairahawa Superintendent of Police, said at a press conference today. Jeevan Chhantyal, a resident of Nisi VDC-1 of Baglung, Lil Bahadur Thapa, a resident of Ransing VDC of Baglung, and Jun Bahadur Thapa of Miskot VDC of Myagdi were arrested, Shrestha said.

Jun Bahadur Thapa, a former sub-inspector of the Nepal Police, is one of the leaders involved in drug trafficking, the police said, adding the hashish was seized on a tip-off as the accused were planning to take it to India via the Baglung-Dang-Sunauli-India route.

The traffickers employed villagers as peddlers, paying them at least Rs 5,000 each, a source said. Police claimed that those held were part of a ring.