Nepalese active in ASEAN drug ring

The Nepalese detained for attempting to smuggle 1.2 kilograms of heroin in his stomach was a drug trafficking specialist within ASEAN, police say.

Head of the Drug Unit of the Crime Investigation Directorate, Lt. Col. Joko Satryo, said on Monday that Basu Dev Parajuli, 26, was assigned by his boss in Bangkok to meet someone, codenamed White Pigeon, at Soekarno-Hatta airport.

Joko said that the White Pigeon would later accompany him to a place where he would have the hidden treasure removed from his stomach.

"We strongly believe that the White Pigeon was on the same flight as the suspect," he said, noting that police have lost the scent of the Pigeon.

Based on preliminary police investigation, the Nepalese swallowed 103 thumb-size cylinders one by one in Bangkok two days before departing.

Basu's had planned to recover the precious cylinders, which are valued at Rp 1 billion (US$460,000) at a Denpasar, Bali hotel through two days worth of defecation. (bsr)