KATHMANDU, July 28: Indian nationals are using Nepal as a transit point to smuggle cannabis to Thailand. It has been found that Indian citizens are involved in both bringing cannabis from Thailand into Nepal and smuggling it into India. As Thai cannabis is considered to be of high quality, Indian nationals have been found to be involved as both carriers and dealers in its trade.
Indian citizens have been arrested while trying to smuggle cannabis produced in various parts of Thailand into India via Nepal. According to the Narcotics Control Bureau, eight Indian nationals have been arrested in the past month with Thai cannabis.
According to the police, the Bureau has filed cases against 45 Indian nationals, including seven women, over the past year. "Indian citizens have been found involved in smuggling Thai cannabis as both dealers and carriers. Cases have been filed against those arrested," said SSP Krishna Koirala, Chief of the Bureau.
The cannabis brought from Thailand by Indian nationals was seized while being transported to India via land routes through Nepal. "Investigations have shown that the cannabis is brought to Nepal from Thailand and then transported to various places in India by land," SSP Koirala said, "Even individuals operating pharmaceutical businesses in India have been arrested."
Indian nationals smuggling Thai cannabis via Nepal to India
According to Koirala, more than 200 kg of cannabis has been seized at the airport on several occasions from Indian and Thai nationals who brought it from Thailand by air and were attempting to take it to India via Nepal.
According to the Bureau, on July 5, Indian national Basir was arrested at Tribhuvan International Airport upon arrival from Thailand. He was arrested after two kilograms of cannabis were found in his suitcase. On the same day, a Thai national named Miss Shrawin was also arrested at the airport with cannabis.
Five kilograms and 200 grams of cannabis were found in her luggage. Similarly, on May 22, two Indian nationals, Kapil Bharadwaj and his associate Pawan, were arrested from the airport premises with cannabis. During security checks, nine kilograms of cannabis were found in Pawan’s suitcase. Police say the person who gave them the cannabis was also an Indian national.
Amarjit Singh, who runs a pharmaceutical company in Himachal Pradesh, India, had sent the cannabis from Thailand. It was revealed that Bharadwaj was promised Rs 100,000 and Pawan Rs 15,000 for the delivery. According to the police, based on Bharadwaj’s statement, both he and Pawan were just carriers, while Singh appears to be the main dealer.
According to Bureau Chief SSP Koirala, Singh and Bharadwaj also run a liquor store in Chuchhepati, Kathmandu. Investigations have shown that they went to Bangkok, Thailand, to bring the cannabis. Singh was not arrested with the cannabis in Nepal. The Bureau brought him to Nepal after Bharadwaj’s wife claimed her husband was innocent and that Singh was behind it all. The Bureau is currently grilling the three individuals.
On 21 November 2024, a Thai woman named Somrudi Howang was also arrested at the airport with five kilograms of cannabis. A Nepali national, Prem Shah, who had gone to receive the cannabis at the airport, was also arrested. The next day, on November 22, Indian national Tilak Prasad Sharma, who had arrived from Thailand, was arrested with five kilograms and 900 grams of cannabis.
Nepal Police has become alarmed by the involvement of Indian nationals in cannabis smuggling. The smuggling of drugs from Tribhuvan International Airport raises questions about the airport's security system. Thailand is the only country in Asia where cannabis cultivation, sale, and consumption are legal. Police estimate that cannabis, which is easily available in Thailand, is being trafficked to Nepal, India, and other countries.
The use of Nepal as a route for cannabis smuggling to India also has diplomatic implications, prompting Nepal Police to increase vigilance.
Since June 2022, the Thai government has legalized the sale and consumption of cannabis. Police claim that this legalization, aimed at tourists, has made it easier for smuggling to other countries. Cannabis and hashish produced in Nepal are also smuggled to various countries. Due to its high quality, cannabis produced in Thailand is being trafficked to Nepal and India, according to police officials.
