Sagar Biswas :Despite increasing vigilance by the law enforcement agencies, the smuggling of illicit drugs through courier services has alarmingly increased in the recent days due to alleged patronisation of influential quarters.At present the syndicates are sending their consignments of drugs, which basically comes from Myanmar and India, through different courier services to the District Headquarters, even some interior parts of the country, police said. In the latest incident of narcotic haul, the members of Rapid Action Battalion [RAB] recovered 10,00,00 Yaba from an office of SA Paribahan [Courier and Parcel service] in Chittagong on Saturday night and arrested two of its officials.These are not one-off cases. According to top officials of law enforcement agencies, at least one major seizure of illegal drugs, meant to be trafficked to different destinations, including Dhaka through couriers, are reported every month.Interestingly, the high-ups of Department of Narcotic Control [DNC], the sole authority to deal with intoxicating drugs in the country, refused to divulge any information about the narcotics haul in the couriers or ‘speed parcels’ despite repeated queries.”I can’t tell you about the drug smuggling through courier service at this moment. It’s also out of my knowledge how the drugs [Yaba] comes from Myanmar and how it is distribute across the country,” Director General of DNC Khandakar Rakibur Rahman said last night. But Chittagong Metropolitan Police Commissioner Abdul Jalil Mondal categorically differed with the DNC Boss saying that it’s a ‘common scenario’ that drugs are being smuggled through courier services.’Yes the syndicates are smuggling drugs through courier services. But we are undone! It is hard to detect the drugs inside the covered vans [used for parcel carrying by courier services] due to lack of cooperation from other concerned agencies. We have to wait for accurate and specific information,’ the CMP Chief told The New Nation on Tuesday.The major reason is, according to Abdul Jalil Mondal, there is no domestic regulation for operating courier services and any one can set up a courier company for serving their ill purpose.’Some of them often try to misuse their CIP status whenever illegal drugs are caught in their offices or cargo vans. They also try to create political pressure, and for that reason the police can’t conduct search before parceling of goods,’ the CMP Commissioner said. Detailing the operation, ASP Shaheda Sultana, Deputy Director of RAB-7, said, ‘We had secret information that a huge consignment of drug will be parceled through SA Paribahan from Chittagong. The Yaba tablets were kept tactfully in a false panel at the bottom of a wooden cupboard.’She said, ‘The arrested me were SA Paribahan Parcel and Courier Service Dhanialapara Branch Manager Md MA Mobin, 44, and Parcel Assistant Md Shamsuddin alias Sabuj, 26. We have enough evidences that the Yaba traders transacted Tk 82 lakh, including Tk 27 lakh in October and Tk 55 lakh in November through the same SA Paribahan branch.’When contacted, General Manger of SA Paribahan Md Abdus Salam refrained from making any comment on the issue.Officials said, the intoxicating drugs are often concealed in low value goods such hardbound books, files, photo frames, talcum powder boxes, statues, sarees, ladies’ hand bags and shoes. The drug smugglers often change the trend. There were several examples that drugs were also smuggled inside water purifiers, machinery and starched or soaked in garments, they said.The syndicates usually smuggle various types of illicit drugs into Bangladesh from neighbouring Myanmar and India because of the high market demand in the country.It is alleged that trade of synthetic drugs like Yaba and heroin have gained momentum in the country due to lack of surveillance of concerned law enforcement agencies. Particularly in capital city Dhaka, the sales of the drugs, including phensidyl, Yaba and heroin are going unabated in Uttara, Gulshan, Banani, Baridhara, Dhanmondi, Mirpur, Jatrabari, old Dhaka and some other places, according to sources.
