Placing several small packs of controlled narcotics in front of arrested men/women while making them public through a press conference has become a common scene at the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) of Nepal Police these days.
Illegal goods seized by the police may include things from gold to anything that has been restricted in accordance with the narcotics control act and they are later collected by the state.
Some of them are auctioned while others go to the government coffers.
The police collected around Rs. 271.591 million in revenue from gold seizure in the last fiscal year alone, and all the money went to the State coffer.
Not all items recovered generate revenue, however. Home-made liquor is one of them. Such confiscated liquor is thrown away. We often see police destroying gallons of home-brewed liquor.
Then, what do the police do with the seized drugs? Drugs are of no use for the State as gold, cash or customs duties. Even though drugs worth millions of rupees have been recovered, we hardly notice police destroying them.
After all, what is done with the seized drugs?
Drugs seized by the police are destroyed after a certain period of time. The police keep the drugs and the accused with them for investigation for some time. Drugs seized before the case reaches the court through the public prosecutor’s office are destroyed.
“We only hold press conferences on what to make public when destroying small quantities of drugs. But, we destroy it in the presence of the concerned government authorities,” said SSP Hriday Thapa of NCB.
How long does it take to destroy?
The amount of drugs seized by the police is increasing every year. Opium, bottles of corex, marijuana, heroin and tablets seized average more than 50 per cent. The price of drugs like cocaine and heroin is more than Rs. 10 million per kg.
Police records show that up to 14 kg of cocaine was seized in a year. There is a legal provision to destroy the seized drugs within 15 days. Article 11 of the Drug Control Act 2033 states that drugs should be destroyed. The act stipulates that the police should destroy the drug within 15 days after the extension in the case.
In the presence of the representative of the district court, the representative of the local district administration office and the representative of the local municipality or village, the goods have to be disposed within fifteen days of its submission to the court for extension.
SSP Thapa said that the drugs are destroyed as per the decision of the court representatives.
“We have destroyed all the drugs seized. Not only us, but other representatives are also involved in it,” said SSP Thapa.
The police have to keep a record of the destroyed drugs. Even if the drugs are destroyed within 15 days, most of the arrested cases do not reach the court within that period. Drugs should be destroyed before the accused is brought before the court. So what evidence does the police present during a debate or hearing in court?
The law gives the right to keep sample drugs in such cases. However, the amount to be kept is also specified. A maximum of three grams of samples can be kept from each packet of drugs seized by the police under the supervision of a police officer assigned by the investigating officer. The police keep the samples in court or send them to the laboratory for testing.
The time and place of destruction of drugs is fixed by the court concerned, said SSP Thapa.
In the case of the Kathmandu District Court, there is a place to destroy drugs on the court premises. Drugs have been destroyed in the same place for several years. However, if large quantities of drugs are recovered, it is not possible to bring them to the premises, but a court representative is sent to destroy them.
“Drugs have not had much effect so far. Therefore, it is being destroyed on our court premises now,” said Information Officer at the court, Deepak Dahal.
In the last fiscal year, Nepal Police seized 8,235 kg of cannabis, 511 kg of Chares, 9 kg 24 grams of heroin, 1 kg 17 grams of cocaine, 262 kg 54 grams of opium, 235,666 different drug tablets.
A total of 163,524 ampoules and 13,427 corex syrup bottles were recovered. Police said that all these drugs had been destroyed. The seized drugs have to be burnt and destroyed completely.
Source : TRN,
