Colombo/Kathmandu: Indian nationals have been arrested in two separate drug-related cases at international airports in Sri Lanka and Nepal, with authorities seizing cocaine, ecstasy and marijuana in operations involving an arriving passenger and a courier consignment from the United States.
In Sri Lanka, Customs officials arrested a 46-year-old Indian engineer at Bandaranaike International Airport in Katunayake on October 28 after finding cocaine and ecstasy in his luggage. The passenger had arrived from Paris via Doha on Qatar Airways flight QR 654. Officials seized 5.121 kg of cocaine valued at approximately 256 million Sri Lankan rupees and 13.173 kg of ecstasy, equivalent to nearly 23,000 tablets, valued at 198 million rupees. The total estimated value of the drugs was 454 million Sri Lankan rupees.
Sri Lanka Customs has initiated preliminary investigations, and the suspect, the seized narcotics and other evidence are expected to be handed over to the Police Narcotics Bureau for further investigation and legal action. The reported ecstasy seizure amounts to nearly 23,000 tablets, highlighting the scale of the consignment intercepted at the airport.
In a separate case in Nepal, police arrested two Indian nationals at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu over the alleged trafficking of 1.338 kg of marijuana sent from the United States through a courier service. The suspects were identified as Bhanwar Singh, 23, and Vandit Patel, 33, both from Gujarat. According to Nepalese media reports, the marijuana was concealed in a shipment presented as documents. Investigators used a controlled-delivery operation to recover the consignment and arrest the two men.
Nepal’s Narcotics Control Bureau is investigating the case, including the intended destination of the shipment and whether other people were involved. The two incidents involve different alleged trafficking methods: narcotics carried in passenger luggage in Sri Lanka and marijuana concealed in an international courier shipment in Nepal. Investigations in both countries are continuing.
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