Biratnagar, June 17: In a major crackdown on drug smuggling, police have seized over 4,200 kilograms of marijuana hidden inside vegetable trucks in Sunsari district.
According to the District Police Office, Sunsari, the contraband was confiscated over two days—Monday and Tuesday—from two trucks transporting vegetables from Dhankuta.
On Tuesday morning, a team from the Area Police Office, Itahari, intercepted a truck (registration no. 5 Kha 6116) in Itahari Sub-metropolitan City-20, Tarhara. The truck, reportedly carrying cabbage and potatoes, was found to contain 70 sacks of marijuana, weighing 2,100 kilograms. In addition to the marijuana, the truck also carried 48 sacks of cabbage and 12 sacks of potatoes.
Police arrested three individuals in connection with the seizure: Rajendra Rai and Sunil Rai, both from Shahidbhumi Rural Municipality-6, Dhankuta, and Suman Rai from Barahachhetra Municipality-9, Sunsari.
A day earlier, another 70 sacks of marijuana—weighing 2,130 kilograms—were seized from a truck transporting ginger and banda (a leafy vegetable) from Shivdhara, Dharan Sub-metropolitan City-13, to Dhankuta. That vehicle also carried 31 sacks of ginger and 6 sacks of banda.
Police say Dhankuta, known for marijuana cultivation, has become a hub for smuggling the drug to India. Earlier, smugglers primarily used small vehicles and tubes to ferry marijuana across the Saptakoshi River. However, law enforcement officials have noted a recent shift to larger trucks under the guise of transporting vegetables to evade detection.

People's Review News Monitoring Service