Chittagong’s Bakalia police early yesterday arrested two Dhaka-based drug peddlers with 3,000 pieces of yaba tablets from the port city.
The two were trying to smuggle the contraband drug into the capital from Cox’s Bazar.
The arrested Amir Khan, 32, and Saiman, 35, both hailing from Shariatpur district, operated in the capital, police said.
Bakalia police station Officer-in-Charge Mohammad Moshin said they arrested the two from a Shymoli Paribahan bus in the city’s Shah Amanat Third Karnaphuli Bridge area around 3am, following on a tip-off.
He said yaba peddling and smuggling using a bus has increased nowadays.
Police said a drug case was lodged in this regard with Bakalia police station.
According to Department of Narcotic Control, around 37 yaba factories are located at Mongdu in Myanmar, which is close to Teknaf of Cox’s Bazar district. About 90% of smuggled yaba enter the country crossing the Naf River and it is being distributed across the country through Chittagong city.
Chittagong is treated as a golden transit point by the drug smugglers especially for yaba. Admitting the increase of yaba smuggling in the port city, the OC said they have intensified vigilance and drives to stop the smuggling.
“We also enhanced our monitoring at the entry point of the city from Cox’s Bazar,” he said adding that the smugglers were coming up with new techniques to peddle their illegal drugs.