Kathmandu | February 20, 2026

Three Indian nationals have been arrested at Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport after police recovered more than 11 kilograms of cannabis allegedly smuggled into Nepal via Thailand and Malaysia.

The arrested individuals have been identified as Sameera Mirza, Mohammad Junaid, and Afsana Sheikh. According to airport police spokesperson SP Rajkumar Silwal, a total of 11 kilograms and 270 grams of cannabis was seized from their possession.

Police said 3.87 kilograms of cannabis were recovered from Mirza and Junaid, while 7.4 kilograms were found in the luggage carried by Sheikh.

 

Preliminary investigations indicate that the narcotics were transported from Thailand, routed through Malaysia, and then brought into Nepal. The suspects had arrived in Kathmandu from New Delhi and were attempting to exit the airport with luggage that had arrived from Malaysia when they were apprehended.

 

Authorities believe the smuggling network adopted this method assuming that passengers arriving from Delhi would face less scrutiny. The case is currently under further investigation by Nepal’s Narcotics Control Bureau.

Notably, four other Indian nationals were arrested at the airport just four days earlier in a similar case involving cannabis smuggled from Malaysia, raising concerns over increasing drug trafficking attempts through international air routes.