Despite drives against drug traders by concerned agencies like Department of Narcotics Control [DNC], Rapid Action Battalion [RAB], Border Guard Bangladesh [BGB], Coast Guard [Coast Guard] and police, smuggling of intoxicating drugs into the country is reportedly still rampant.
Although the drugs, mainly heroin, yaba, cocaine and others are not produced in Bangladesh, they are smuggled into the country from different countries allegedly taking the advantage of relaxed mood of the law enforcing agencies, particularly the BGB.
Top officials of DNC — the supreme authority to supervise narcotics business in the country — have said that drug smuggling, trading and its wide abuse are still unbridled in Bangladesh, adding the country has become a “safe transit route” of international drug smugglers.
The DNC officials also turned down the claim of police about bringing the drug smuggling under their control. Recently, Monirul Islam, Joint Commissioner, Detective and Criminal Intelligence Division of Dhaka Metropolitan Police [DMP] claimed that drug trading is now under control of the police.
He added: “Police have taken special initiatives to stop drug business, as drug is the mother of all crimes. At present, the drug trading in the capital is under our control because of massive raids by the law enforcers. Police are operating drives in full swing to arrest the drug dealers rather than drug addicts. It is the only means to checking drug abuse.”
Refuting the claim, Director General of DNC Atwar Rahman told The New Nation yesterday, “Drug trading is still rampant in the country. Police may claim that drug trading is under their control, but we do not think so. We are trying to bring the situation under control despite constraints. The manpower strength and other logistics remain same what it was at the time of its [DNC] formation. “Of course, it is impossible to prevent drug smuggling by the DNC alone. The main job of DNC is to prevent and control drug trafficking. It is also engaged in prevention of drug abuse through research, education and training and providing treatment and rehabilitation of drug addicts,” added the DNC DG.
Even admitting the increase of trans-border drugs smuggling, Major General Aziz Ahmed, Director General of Border Guard Bangladesh [BGB] also said, “It is not possible for BGB alone to check drug smuggling through the huge bordering areas. The civil administration and general people have to cooperate with us in this regard. The BGB, however, will show zero tolerance to drugs smuggling.”
“If there are carpeted roads inside Bangladesh border, it would have been more easy for BGB to check trans-border smuggling. We are discussing it with the higher authorities,” he said. Meanwhile, the DNC, in a report given in its official website has said, “Bangladesh, with its longest borders with India on three sides and with Myanmar to the northeast, has become very risky and vulnerable for drug trafficking and abuse. Bangladesh is being increasingly used as a ‘transit country’ for heroin shipments using Dhaka Airport and the seaport of Chittagong as the exit-points.
“Heroin– produced in North Myanmar, Laos, Thailand and India — is generally trafficked into foreign countries through Calcutta, Madras and Mumbai routes of India and through Thailand and Yangoon. But the International drug barons and the Mafia network also find Bangladesh as a safe and alternate trafficking route when the Indian and Myanmar routes become risky,” the DNC web report said.
The report further said: “It [drug] has been spread over from urban areas to rural areas. The most frequently used drug is heroin, thereafter, phensidyl that are smuggled into Bangladesh from India. Elaborating drug smuggling route, the report said: “On the other side of Indian borders, there are number of factories manufacturing codeine based narcotics with ‘Phensidyl’ as trade name and are being trafficked into Bangladesh.
Indian media also recently reported that the drug trade is expanding from synthetic drugs to cannabis producing ganja plants in bordering areas of Tripura for consumers into Bangladesh.
