KATHMANDU, June 23: Nepal Police have arrested 12 people including five foreign nationals on the charge of being involved in illegal drug trade. The police made them public on Friday.

Based on information that illegal drug dealing is going on in the Kathmandu Valley, a team deployed by the Narcotics Control Bureau of Nepal Police has arrested 12 people including five foreign nationals who are involved in illegal drug dealing.  

During a press conference on Friday, the police revealed that on June 11, they attempted to apprehend Hemant Kumar Bhagat, a resident of Mathura village in Bihar, India, who was involved in drug trafficking. The police approached him near Sinamangal, Kathmandu Metropolitan City-9, and during the encounter, Bhagat attempted to draw a pistol and the police responded by firing shots, resulting in his injury. It has been disclosed that Bhagat had been residing in Daulatpur, Supaul district, Bihar, India, and currently, he was staying in Ward No. 3 of Dharan Sub-Metropolitan City, Sunsari, along with his associate Sanjeev Kumar, also known as Ram Bhajan, who was arrested on June 21 from Sunsari.

Speaking at the press conference, Narcotics Control Bureau Spokesperson Superintendent of Police Chakraraj Joshi said that on June 12 at 5:30 PM, German national Paul Westerl, traveling from Kathmandu to Istanbul via Turkish Airlines, was found in possession of two suitcases during baggage inspection. Upon checking the suitcases, contraband substances weighing 6.86 kilograms were discovered, leading to the arrest of the German citizen.

Furthermore, Mahesh Chaudhary of Chitwan was apprehended with illegal substances, including 16 bottles of codeine from Lalitpur Metropolitan City Ward 11 on June 13. Similarly, Sugam Mainali of Chandragiri Municipality Ward 8 was caught with seven pieces of LSD stickers, on June 20, from Kathmandu Metropolitan City Ward 16.

Similarly, on June 20, Mukhiya Gurung, of Kathmandu Metropolitan City 18, aged 24, was arrested from KMC- 29 with 3.7 grams of illegal drug cocaine. In the course of the investigation, Raj Gautam aka Bachchan, 26, of Morang and Martina Serna, 32, of  Czech Republic, who were involved in the transaction, were arrested. Spokesperson SP Joshi said that 26 LSD stickers and 400 mg of methamphetamine were recovered from a hotel in Pokhara, Kaski, and handed over to the District Police Office, Kaski, for necessary investigation.

On June 21, Nepal Police arrested David Minadio, 34, an Italian citizen, from a hotel located in KMC-16, with 6 grams of illegal drug hashish, and during further investigation, during a search of the room in a hotel located in KMC- 26, they found 1098 LSD stickers, 38 grams of methamphetamine, one hundred thirty nine thousand Indian Currency, 700 Euro, 530 Turkish Lira, 50 Thai Baht were recovered. Similarly, the police said that Dawa Tamang, 42, of Dhading Ruby Valley 2, and Nar Bahadur Tamang, 33, of Ward 4, were arrested with 2.45 milligrams of drugs from KMC-26 on June 22. 

According to the police, Suman Limbu, 25, of Bhadrapur Municipality 4, Jhapa, was arrested after 4.75 kilograms of illegal drug marijuana was recovered from him just before he was about to board an Indian Airlines flight to Oman at 3:35 AM on June 22.

He said that the market value of the seized drugs is Rs 23,315,250.  

 
• illegal_drug_trade