The accused, identified as Phyo (30), was arrested after police and SSB personnel recovered six packets of contraband from his trolley bag.[1] The accused, a resident of the Mandalay region in Myanmar, was intercepted by the SSB during a targeted operation near the international border.[1] SSB officials said actionable intelligence was received on Thursday evening indicating that a narcotics carrier would attempt to cross into India near Border Pillar No. 517/2.[1] Within hours, personnel identified a suspicious individual crossing from the Nepal side.[1] He was intercepted around 30 metres inside Indian territory.[1] He has been handed over, along with the seized contraband, to the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) unit in Gorakhpur for further investigation.[1]

Maharajganj Police and the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) have seized 4.532 kg of high-grade hydroponic weed worth around Rs 4.5 crore from a Myanmar national at the India-Nepal border in the Sonauli area of Maharajganj district.[1] A search of his trolley bag led to the recovery of six packets of hydroponic weed, weighing 4.532 kg in total.[1]

Sources in the police said that during preliminary questioning, the accused allegedly revealed that the consignment was handed over to him in Thailand, from where it was moved to Kathmandu before being smuggled into India via Nepal.[1] Investigators believe the consignment was headed for Delhi, a major consumption and distribution centre for premium-grade cannabis.[2] Officials suspect the involvement of a well-organised international syndicate operating across multiple countries.[1] Agencies suspect the syndicate has links spanning Thailand, Nepal, Myanmar and India, with distribution networks extending to Delhi, Haryana and Goa, where demand for premium cannabis is high.[1] Officials said traffickers lure carriers with lucrative payments, reportedly offering up to ₹1 lakh for transporting 500 grams to the national capital.[1] Financial trails, travel patterns and communication data are now being analysed.[1] Further investigation is underway, and more arrests are expected as agencies tighten the noose around the cross-border drug network.[1]