Banned drugs entering country ahead of Eid:Daily Sun

 Banned drugs like Phensidyl, Yaba and heroin are entering the country almost every day from the neighbouring Myanmar ahead of Eid. Sources said organised drug dealers are smuggling in thousands of bottles of Phensidyl, Yaba tablets and heroin through different border points of the country. These are allegedly being stored in different parts of the country including the capital city of Dhaka as we
ll as the port city of Chittagong. Members of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested four drug traders with 1.6 kg heroin from Cox’s Bazar on Friday night. The elite force seized a locally-manufactured gun, two bullets and a machete from their possession. The law enforcers also recovered Tk 1,74,000 which the criminals earned by selling heroin. Of the arrested, Usha Rakhain is a listed drug dealer. RAB sources said her name has been enlisted as a notorious drug dealer by the Home Ministry, police, RAB and BGB. However, names of other members of the gang could not be identified. During interrogation, Usha confessed to RAB that her gang had been involved in the illegal trade of drugs for a long time. The gang smuggled in various drugs from Myanmar and later supplied those to different parts of the country including Dhaka and Chittagong. The same day, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel recovered 20,000 pieces of Yaba tablets from Teknaf point in Cox’s Bazar. Members of 42, BGB Battalion recovered the Yaba tablets from Najirpara area along the Naf River. But none could be arrested in this connection. Acting on a tip-off, BGB personnel raided the area. But sensing their presence, the criminals fled the scene abandoning the Yaba tablets which they smuggled in from Myanmar, BGB sources said. Last week, BGB men seized a engine-driven trawler containing about 1,70,000 pieces of Yaba tablets from the Naf River adjacent to Shahpurir island in Teknaf. Evading eyes of members of BGB and other law enforcers, different syndicates are smuggling in thousands of bottles of Phensidyl, heroin and Yaba tablets through different border points along Myanmar. Youngsters, mostly college and university students of the capital city and its outskirts, are gradually getting addicted to drugs, endangering their lives, detectives said. Organised drug dealers, having liaison with dishonest law enforcers, smuggle in Yaba tablets from Myanmar through Teknaf border. Later, they supply the drug to different parts of the country including Dhaka and Chittagong, they said. The elite force seized about five lakh pieces of Yaba tablets from different parts of the country in last six months, RAB sources said. Taking advantage of weakness of unscrupulous members of law enforcement agencies, organised Yaba smugglers have built up a strong network in the capital and its outskirts, local sources said. Even, several influentials living in border areas, having liaison with local political leaders and law enforcers, got involved in the immoral trade, detectives said. A group of syndicates live along the Myanmar-Bangladesh border for carrying Yaba tablets. As Yaba tablets are very small, these are easy to carry across the body, they informed. Smugglers bring in Yaba tablets through different border points such as Shapuri Dip, Shaprang, Teknaf, Nilla and Whykong, according to a senior detective. On arrival on the soil of Bangladesh, smugglers supply Yaba tablets to local markets with the help of their cohorts, he said. Carriers reportedly earn a lot of money carrying the drugs, he added. Many smugglers were arrested with Yaba tablets along Myanmar border points. Later, they were sent to jail but within a few days, they got bail and came out of jail. Again, they got involved in their old trade. Alarmingly, a large number of youngsters of well-to-do family and even middle and lower middle class families have become addicted to Yaba due to comparatively higher prices of Phensidyl. Contacted, BGB director general (DG) Major general Abdul Aziz said members of his forces have intensified surveillance along different border points of the country to check smuggling of illegal drugs. “The BGB men are recovering Yaba, Phensidyl and heroin worth crores of taka every month,” he informed.