Madhesh Province [Nepal], June 5 (ANI): Bardibas in Mahottari district has become a major transit hub for drug smuggling, with traffickers using the town to move marijuana from the hill districts of Nepal into India and bring controlled prescription drugs from India into Kathmandu, the Kathmandu Post reported.

Once a small roadside stop along the East-West Highway, Bardibas has seen rapid urban growth following the operation of the BP Highway, which connects the town directly to Kathmandu. This development has brought an influx of residents and businesses, but it has also coincided with the rise of illicit drug activities.

According to the Area Police Office in Bardibas, smugglers have established storage facilities throughout the town. Marijuana grown in the Chure hills is being stockpiled in Bardibas before being smuggled across the open Nepal-India border through nearby towns such as Gaushala, Ramgopalpur, and Jaleshwar. In the opposite direction, pharmaceutical drugs are brought illegally from India and distributed into Kathmandu.

Residential areas, schools, and local businesses have reportedly been affected. Authorities have found students in possession of marijuana and households storing as much as 20 kilograms. Deputy Superintendent of Police Bikash Bam stated that regular police patrols have increasingly found drugs being transported in four-wheelers. 'Even students from reputed schools are getting involved,' he said, urging stronger awareness and prevention efforts, as per reports by the Kathmandu Post.

Police believe the porous Nepal-India border has facilitated the movement of banned substances, with some Nepali youth traveling to India to procure or smuggle pharmaceutical drugs. In recent enforcement actions, police seized 40 kg of marijuana from a car in ward 11 of Bardibas Municipality and another 107.9 kg from a vehicle in Ramgopalpur. On the same day, two individuals were caught with 20 kg of marijuana on a motorcycle headed to Jaleshwar.

In another major operation, police confiscated 158 kg of marijuana from a Mahindra Scorpio parked near Shubha Swastik Hospital in Bardibas. Authorities say such busts have become routine, with vehicles including cars, motorcycles, and SUVs being used almost daily for smuggling.

Over the past 10 months, Mahottari police have seized more than 26.86 quintals of marijuana from 13 vehicles, filing 27 cases and arresting 37 individuals. During the previous fiscal year 2023-24, police confiscated 12.96 quintals and filed 10 cases.

The trend is not limited to Mahottari. According to police data, all eight districts in Madhesh Province are seeing a steady rise in marijuana trafficking, with a total of 135.69 quintals confiscated in the past 10 months alone, the Kathmandu Post reported.

Superintendent of Police Heramba Sharma said Bardibas has become a preferred route for traffickers due to its strategic location, short distances to border towns, and the availability of small vehicles for quick transport. A significant portion of marijuana seized in Mahottari reportedly originates from Makawanpur. (ANI)