Home Adviser Lieutenant General (Retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury has said the government is trying to put the ringleaders of drug trafficking behind bars to rid the country of the menace.
“Drugs and corruption are the two most serious problems for the country. Arresting the godfathers of drug trafficking is more important than catching the drug carriers,” he told journalists after disbursing donation cheques among private drug rehabilitation centres on Wednesday.
The programme was held to mark the "International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, 2025," which will be observed on Thursday in the country as elsewhere in the world, reported BSS.
In response to a question about the involvement of some members of law enforcement agencies in drug trafficking, he said legal action would be taken against anyone found involved in such misconduct.
A high official has already been suspended due to a suspected link to drug trafficking and will soon be brought to justice, he added.
The adviser said the government is constructing rehabilitation centres for drug addicts in seven divisions at a cost of Tk 1,400 crore.
He thanked the private drug rehabilitation centres for their role in helping drug addicts return to normal life and urged them to strengthen their activities.
Jahangir Alam said contraband drugs like phensedyl syrup and yaba pills are being smuggled into Bangladesh from India and Myanmar.
“We have requested the governments of both countries to dismantle their drug factories,” the adviser said.
“We have already spoken with the concerned authorities of those countries to initiate measures to shut them down,” he added.