Replace cocaine with cannabis, Colombia with Nepal and you have it: leftist guerrillas involved in protecting an illegal narcotic crop. Since the farmers growing ganja are mostly poor peasants, local Maoist cells in Makwanpur have got a cause they can fight for. And both have a common enemy: the police patrols who regularly raid ganja plantations. Two months ago Maoists attacked the Makawanpur police post to warn them not to harass ganja farmers in northern Makwanpur. The Assistant Sub-Inspector of Kalikatar police post told us it would be impossible for him to send patrols anymore to the ganja region for fear of Maoist ambushes. The police have even withdrawn from posts in Dandakharka and Kandarang because of Maoist activity, according to Makwanpur's Superintendent of Police Narendra Khaling. Local residents spread scare stories to police patrols, telling them Maoists have booby-trapped the trail. The Maoists are not actually growing marijuana themselves, but they have told farmers not to payoff police since they will provide them protection.