Joynal Abedin Khan :
Nur Mohammad, Chairman of Khan Jahan Ali Group (KJAG) limited and main accused in a case of the recent liquid cocaine smuggling in guise of sunflower oil in Chittagong could be arrested in anytime, said Kusum Dewan, Deputy Commissioner of Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP).
The KJAG Chairman is in now under surveillance of police and he would be shown arrest in the case after getting sufficient evidence of his alleged connection with the smuggling, the police official said.
“We have already got some information about Nur Mohammad and his connection in the smuggling incident,” the CMP DC said.
Customs Intelligence became sure about the cocaine after completing two tests at two laboratories, including Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research in Dhaka, said Md Kamruzzaman, Investigation Officer (IO) of the case and Assistant Commissioner of CMP.
“They suspect drug dealers of Bangladesh, India, the United Kingdom and Bolivia are involved in the smuggling under the cover of edible oil trade,” the IO said.
The Directorate of Customs Intelligence and Investigation has arrested four people for their suspected involvement in the act of smuggling, he said.
“We will ensure after interrogation of the arrested persons regarding the case” the police official said.
On June 8, samples were taken from the container in presence of customs intelligence officials and sent it to laboratory for test, he said.
Port official sources said that the container imported from Bolivia was shipped at Uruguay’s capital Montevideo and it arrived in Chittagong on May 12 via Singapore.
Nur Mohammad claimed one of his employees was involved in the ‘import of oil’ that was brought in without his knowledge, they claimed.
Meanwhile, a Chittagong court on Thursday granted 10-day remand for each of the three arrestees in the cocaine smuggling case in the port city.
The court of Metropolitan Magistrate Farid Alam has passed the order when police produced the three with a 10-day remand plea, said Chittagong Metropolitan Police’s Additional Deputy Commissioner (Prosecution) Kazi Muttaki Ibn Minan.
Earlier in the day, arrestees COSCO Shipping Agency’s Manager AKM Azad, Mondol Group’s Commercial Executive Atiqur Rahaman and a real estate company official Mostafa Kamal were handed over to CMP’s Detective Branch.
Directorate of Customs Intelligence and Investigation (CIID) detained the three from Dhaka and Chittagong on June 30.
In the meantime, accused Golam Mostafa Sohel, manager of Prime Hatchery Limited which is a sister concern of the alleged importer of the cocaine Khan Jahan Ali Limied, was remanded for five days while another accused Khan Jahan Ali Group Chairman Nur Mohammad is on the run.
Sohel was held on June 6 on suspicion of his connection with the consignment. On June 27, the existence of liquid cocaine was found in the laboratory test of the sample collected from the sealed sunflower oil laden container in Chittagong port.
On the following day, Port Thana Sub-Inspector (SI) Osman Gani filed the case under Narcotic Act where Khan Jahan Ali Limited Chairman Nur Mohammad was made accused.
A concerned court ordered police to produce Sohel showing arrest in the case. Contacted, Detective Branch (DB) of police is now investigating the matter following the order of CMP, M Abdul Jalil Mondal told the New Nation on Thursday.
Customs Intelligence and Investigation Department of Chittagong found liquid cocaine from a container of sunflower oil on June 6, imported from Bolivia, the CMP commissioner said.
Moinul Khan, Director General of CIID said, “Customs officials had information that an expatriate Bangladeshi living in the UK and an Indian living in Kolkata were involved in the drug peddling.”They could not ascertain the quantity of cocaine mixed with sunflower oil in a barrel shipped from Bolivia but suspect a third of the 185 kg drum contains drug, the DG said.
They got documentary evidence that a suggesting ring had tried to use Bangladesh as transit, the DG said.
Investigators said a UK-based Bangladeshi, Bakul Mia, was the ringleader and key person behind the import, he said.
CII Additional Director General Hussain Ahmed said, “Officials suspect that narcotics dealers of Bangladesh, India, Bolivia and the United Kingdom were involved in the international smuggling of this highly expensive drug.”
Meanwhile, a team of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), by the request of CIID, will come to Dhaka soon to determine the actual weight of the cocaine.
