Syed Shemul Parvez :
When the normal life of the people almost all over the world has come to a standstill amid the corona situation, the triumphant of drug traders has not stopped even in this catastrophe. The prevalence of drugs could not be controlled even adopting a new law in 2018.
Bangladesh is now considered one of the top South Asian countries for the number and market of drug business. Though drug dealers are constantly being caught, the import of new drugs has not stopped.
Sources said the supply channel could be blocked for some time by conducting various raids, but the addicts are getting drugs with no bar regularly.
Route of Yaba supply from Myanmar to the neighbouring China and Thailand has been cut off due to the tough stance of Chinese and Thai authority. Since then, Bangladesh has become a big market for Myanmar drug traffickers. Concerned experts say that if the easy access of drugs from the neighboring countries is not stopped, the drug menace cannot be brought under control. Experts recommended that policymakers should take immediate action to halt the internal route also used by the drug traders.
It is also learnt that taking a drug such as Yaba or hemp for a long time has reduced intoxication capacity of an addict. He/she then looks for something new to get stimulated further. He/she also looks for more powerful drugs for more intoxication to cover up their frustrations and failures in personal life.
Thus realizing the demand of the addicts, the drug dealers more often introduced new products and supply them to the addicted people.
Talking with the personnel of Department of Narcotics Control, law enforcement and researchers, it was learnt that 27 types of drugs have been recovered in Bangladesh including four new types of drugs within a very recent period. There are 18 types of drugs in the list of regular use. The most commonly consumed drugs are Yaba and hemp.
Mojibur Rahman Patwari, Additional Director (Chittagong Region) of the Department of Narcotics Control, told the New Nation, “Drug addicts in our country tend to take more than one drug. If he doesn’t get the drug which he takes regularly, he takes whatever he can get his hands on.”
Researcher and a teacher of the North South University Dr. Emdadul Haque said, ‘Geographically, Bangladesh is among the three largest drug producing regions in the world. This is a ‘sandwiched’ situation. Myanmar and Thailand are in the Golden Triangle, India is the top country in the Golden Way region and in the Golden Crescent region there are Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan.
He added, “Bangladesh has a lot of geo-strategic importance in international drug smuggling. Due to this cycle, the connection of drug traffickers of Bangladesh with international gangs is also strong.
Earlier, some Bangladeshi men and women were arrested in Sri Lanka for trading drugs. Yaba reaches the Middle East from Bangladesh. Attempts have even been made to send it to the United States also. Many people have been arrested at the airport in the recent years for smuggling drugs through air route.
It is mentionable that in May 2018, the country’s law enforcement agencies launched a special operation against drugs on the instructions of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. All forces including the RAB, police, BGB, Coast Guard and Ansar have been conducting zero-tolerance policy against Yaba for almost last two years.
