Saptari police seized 670kg of marijuana concealed in a mound of hay at Kamaldaha, Chanahi, in Balanbihul Rural Municipality-1 on Sunday. According to Superintendent of Police Dhakendra Khatiwada, the contraband was packed in 24 separate packets to avoid detection.

This comes just days after police confiscated 1,717kg of marijuana hidden in a truck loaded with sand in Rajgadh Rural Municipality.

Police suspect that smugglers have been using Saptari as a temporary storage hub to transport marijuana, grown in the eastern hilly regions of Nepal, across the border to India. Investigations are ongoing.