“The existing security arrangements at TIA don’t meet the international standard and this could make Nepal a transit route for international drug smuggling,” said SSP Nawaraj Silwal, deputy chief at the Narcotic Drugs Control Law Enforcement Unit (NDCLEU), adding, “The technology needs to be upgraded to tackle the increasing challenge of drug smuggling.”[break]
He said the surveillance system at the country’s only international airport, including the x-ray machines, don’t meet international standards and the close circuit TV installed there is also very old. Currently, there are eight x-ray machines at TIA used for scanning purposes.
Three of the machines are at the international terminal, three at the domestic terminal, one at the Indian Airlines booth and two at cargo.
Stating that most of the major drugs seizures at TIA were made by police intelligence, SSP Silwal stressed the need for modifying the skills training given to police personnel under NDCLEU. A total of 102 police personnel are working under NDCLEU.
A recent example is the interception of 1 kg of cocaine. A special NDCLEU squad had arrested a Thai national in possession of the cocaine hidden inside a tuna fish can. That was supposedly the first seizure of a big quantity of cocaine by police on the basis of their own intelligence.
Similarly, an American national, Kristian Peter Stiegler, who was arrested in Nepal a month ago, had tested the security system in Nepal several times before trying to send through prayer wheels containing hashish. Stiegler was adept at understand how security surveillance in Nepal works, SSP Silwal said.
These examples suggest that traffickers are well aware of the fragile security setup, so the system needs to be upgraded, SSP Silwal added.
Computerization of data including details about passenger luggage at TIA may also reduce the chances of Nepal becoming a transit channel for drug smuggling, according to Silwal.
DIG Narayan Prasad Bastakoti at TIA also stressed the need for upgrading security arrangements including strict surveillance.
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