A NATIONAL daily yesterday reported that the number of arrests and cases over drug related incidents went up over the last five years but the conviction rate declined during the period and the lowest rates occurred last year. Around 55 percent of such cases saw the conviction in 2013, and the rate fell to 40 percent last year. Many of the criminals got acquitted due to the faulty and incomplete investigation, improper presentation of cases in court, weaknesses in prosecution, lack of witnesses and speculated corruption. The government’s adamancy in deterring narcotics got a fresh momentum recently due to the killing of suspected drug dealers and kingpins while letting the top kingpins escape but it has created resentment at home and abroad.
Definitely, Dhaka is the biggest drug market in the country, and almost all the 32 border districts are vulnerable to drug trafficking. The law enforcement agencies in 2017 seized more than four crore Yaba tablets, 401 kg of heroin, and 69,989 kg of cannabis. The Department of Narcotics Control (DNC) is to be blamed for the acute shortage of manpower in its prosecution wing.
It is observed that unemployed people are more vulnerable to drug peddling, addiction and other crimes. But the government miserably failed to contain the growing unemployment. The drug consumption rate is higher in adolescents and youths aged between 15 and 30, an example of how the demographic dividend is being spoiled in the country due to policy inadequacy and a shortage of government priority to capitalize the dividend for securing the future.
The Home Minister talked about erecting barbed fences along the Myanmar border and of gearing up the surveillance to suspend the smuggling of Yaba into Bangladesh. Unless the cobweb that involves ruling party men, police, border guards, and coast guards is broken the peddling can’t be stopped.
Currently, more than 50,000 drug cases are pending. We must say separate courts along with a updated law to try the drug-related crimes is very much needed while the investigation, prosecution and conviction teams should be more efficient.
