Nepal police have arrested three foreign nationals involved in the illegal trade of cocaine. The arrests were made following extensive surveillance by the Narcotics Control Bureau, leading to the recovery of a substantial quantity of cocaine with a market value running into crores of rupees.

Kevina Mugala, a 44-year-old Ugandan national who arrived in Kathmandu from Qatar, was detained in Sinamangal, Kathmandu. Acting on suspicions that Mugala had ingested illegal substances, she was taken to Nepal Police Hospital in Maharajganj. A medical examination revealed 90 cocaine capsules wrapped in white plastic in her stomach, amounting to a total of 1.26 kilograms of cocaine.

Two days later, Lillian Susan Wanyenze, another Ugandan citizen, was arrested at a hotel in Thamel Dhowichour. Authorities discovered 63 plastic-wrapped cocaine capsules hidden inside Snickers chocolate bars in her suitcase, weighing a total of 1.394 kilograms.

Further investigations led to the arrest of an Indian national, Dewajani Pal, aged 33, who was apprehended on the same day in connection with Wanyenze’s case. Pal was arrested from another hotel in Thamel Dhowichour while attempting to collect the 394 grams of cocaine from Wanyenze.

The total cocaine recovered from these operations amounts to 2 kilograms. According to estimates, 654 grams of the seized cocaine alone have an illegal market value of approximately Rs. 7 crore 96 lakhs.

The arrests were made under the Narcotic Drugs (Control) Act, 2033, and the Kathmandu District Court has extended the detention for further investigation.