LAHAN, Dec 15: Marijuana smugglers have been transporting the contraband drug produced in the hill districts of Nepal to India through the porous border in Madhesh Province right under the noses of law enforcement agencies. The cluelessness of the Nepal Police about the smuggling methods has become more pronounced after they recovered by chance a large quantity of marijuana from a car that collided with a truck in Siraha on Saturday night.
The truck with registration number Na 3 Kha 7591, traveling from east to west collided with the car (Ba 8 Cha 9963) traveling north to south at Zero Mile in Siraha’s Dhangadhimai Municipality-10. During a coincidental search of the car simply because it was involved in the accident, five packets of prepared marijuana weighing 130 kilograms were found, said Superintendent of Police (SP) Ramesh Pandit, chief of the District Police Office (DPO), Siraha.
If the car was not involved in the accident, perhaps, the police would never have checked it. Even when they found the contraband drug, they failed to arrest the driver of the car. Instead, the truck driver has been taken into police custody along with the police impounding the vehicles.
Locals reported that the car driver attempted to escape immediately after the accident by removing the marijuana and the vehicle's number plate and loading the packets into an e-rickshaw. When locals intervened, the driver fled, abandoning the marijuana.
According to the locals, marijuana is being smuggled from the Sarre Ambas area of Dhangadhimai Municipality, to India via the Zeromile-Bariyarpatti road. While there is the presence of the police at the Zeromile Chowk, the marijuana was reportedly loaded into the car at Bishnupur Katti, Dhangadhimai Municipality-12 where checking is less frequent.
How American marijuana is entering India via Nepal?
Locals claim that the police were unaware that the marijuana was being transported toward India from an area under surveillance, raising concerns about the effectiveness of the security forces. Some locals allege that the driver managed to escape in the presence of the police.
Although marijuana is frequently seized by the Armed Police Force and Nepal Police, they often fail to arrest the main traffickers. Police officials report that only porters are typically arrested, as the main traders are based in India. Most smugglers do not disclose their operations, having already made financial arrangements with the drivers and porters involved.
On August 21, preparations were underway to smuggle 240 kg of marijuana in nine plastic bags placed inside an air-filled tube to India via the Koshi River. The Armed Police Force, who had received information, intercepted and seized the marijuana. Police remain clueless about who was behind the smuggling operation.
On August 16, the Armed Police Force seized 192 kg of marijuana from a Scorpio jeep (registration number DL-4 CNB) parked at Kutiya-6, Rajpur Municipality, Rautahat. The marijuana was being smuggled from the hill districts to India via boats on the Koshi river in Hanumannagar, Kankalini Municipality, Saptari. However, the smuggler was never arrested.
Marijuana from hill districts needed to fulfil Indian demand
Experts suggest that the hill districts of Udayapur, Makwanpur and Dhading are the primary source of the marijuana being smuggled through the border of Madhesh Province.
The sporadic production of marijuana in Saptari and Siraha cannot meet the demand of the extensive smuggling network. Marijuana is, therefore, being brought in from the hill districts and transported to India via various routes, including Bariyarpatti, Thadhi, Nargi, and Janaki Nagar in Siraha, and Belhi and Koshi in Saptari.
In Nepal, marijuana is sold for Rs 2,000 to Rs 4,000 per kilogram, but in India, the price goes as high as Rs 20,000 to Rs 25,000 per kilogram. This price disparity, coupled with low investment and quick profits, has led to the rapid expansion of the marijuana smuggling network.
Marijuana smuggled into India through border checkpoints in Dhanusha, Mahottari, Sarlahi, Rautahat, and Siraha is sourced from the hill regions and stored in safe locations. According to the Madhesh Province Police Office, 2,225 kg of marijuana had been seized by mid-October in the current fiscal year (FY 2024/25).
