JHAPA: Increasing instances of drug seizures in Jhapa indicates that the drug business and trafficking is high in the Jhapa district.

As there are large Indian states such as West Bengal to the east of Jhapa and Bihar to the south, smugglers seem to be using Jhapa as a transit point for drug trafficking.

“Having realized that drug trafficking is one of the challenges in the district, we have made the strategies accordingly,” DSP Nava Raj Karki, the Chief Damak Police station, Jhapa told Khabarhub, adding “The results will come out soon.”

Dealers at home

It has been revealed that Jhapa not only has a large number of drug users but also has a significant number of suppliers and dealers, too. Many dealers transport the drugs up to the Nepali border and use some houses to operate the business.

Police revealed that Devendra Rai of Damak-1 has been using his room to store and supply the drugs. Police arrested him after they found him selling brown sugar in his room.

A team of police in plain clothes deployed from the Area Police Office, Damak seized two grams of sticky brown substance which resembled brown sugar among many other things from Rai’s room.

Earlier, some houses in Buddhashanti-3 were also found to have been used as drug dealers for the drug business. 

While raiding at Shesh Raj Sapkota’s house, the police also found some sticky substance changed into brown sugar. The police had seized 10 grams of suspicious sticky substance and codeine and nitrogen from his house.

Damak turned into a ‘hub’

In terms of drug use and trafficking, Jhapa is developing as a drug hub.

Police suspect that the traders are stockpiling in Damak and selling to local users as well as in hilly areas and other districts. The police have arrested two more people involved in the operating dealer from home from Damak.

The arrested include Sameer Tamang, 20, and Nabin Limbu, 22, of Damak-3.

During the search, the police found 1.6-gram brown sugar in the right pocket of the front bar of jeans worn by Sameer Tamang and five mobile sets belonging to them.

Damak Police Chief, DSP Navaraj Karki claims that the drug dealers and network in Damak will be dismantled soon.

“Police are arresting the traffickers and raising awareness against smuggling together,” DSP Karki told Khabarhub, “The police need everyone’s support and cooperation.”

Searching for a new destination

After strict vigilance from the administration in the border areas, the drug traffickers and users are searching for new destinations. It is found that traders who feel insecure in dense urban areas like Kakarbhitta, Birtamod, and Damak go to rural areas.

Though close to Damak, drug users were arrested only sporadically in the Lakhanpur-Gauriganj corridor. But, now they are using it as a new destination.

In the meantime, police have arrested Laxman Das, 27, and Ram Sah, 19, from Gauradaha-1, with drugs recently. The police seized 23.2 grams of suspicious brown sugar from them.

Similarly, drug users have started using the Mechi Highway corridor as a safe destination.

Police have also recovered six grams of suspected brown sugar from Prabesh Majhi, 22, of Buddhashanti-4. Earlier, a couple was arrested with suspicious drugs from Mechinagar-13, Charali in Mechi Corridor.

According to District Police Office, Jhapa, Sujan Rajput, 21, and his wife Pooja Rajput Magar, 18, of Mechinagar-1 Bahundangi were arrested with suspicious drugs like brown sugar.

Use of children

Lately, the use of women and girls is also on the rise in the growing drug trade. The police estimate that the adult women themselves may have been involved in the business for easy money. The children who have entered adolescence are also involved in drug smuggling.

Meanwhile, police have arrested Ramesh Rajbansi, 15, of Damak-5 from Mechinagar-6 with various drugs. The police have recovered a total of 90 bottles of drugs including diazepam 30 bottles, lupigesic 30 bottles and promothigen 30 bottles.

Thus, despite the claim of the police, the administration has not been able to curb the growing wave of drugs in Jhapa.

Although the general users and the sellers are arrested, the people complain that the police have not been able to reach the gang involved in the import of drugs.