About 10,000 suspected drug dealers have been either detained or arrested since the aggressive, government-sponsored, anti-narcotics drives into known drug dens or dealing spots across the country started. However, in most cases, law enforcement agencies have failed to catch the big fish who control the narcotics trade worth crores of taka.
These so-called godfathers have managed to elude capture right before coordinated raids are conducted, following a list of drug dealers in every division based on intelligence information.
However, luck did not favour Bachchu Mia, alias Yaba Bachchu, a top drug dealer in Tongi who was killed in a reported gunfight with Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) in Narayanganj’s Araihajar neighbourhood on May 22.
Officials said Bachchu was planning to flee to India through the Sherpur border.
Nazrul Islam, alias Nozu Sarder, 42, the drug lord who ruled the Chalantika Jhilpar slum in Mirpur, Dhaka, was killed in a ‘gunfight’with police detectives in that area in the early hours of May 28.
Like Bachchu and Nazrul, several other drug lords around the country have also been killed in similar firefights.
The most wanted
Police said most of the top drug dealers are now on the run to avoid the consequences of raids and arrests, driving law enforcement agencies to increase surveillance at the border to prevent their escape.
In Dhaka, a list of top drug dealers includes Ishtiak Ahmed, Nadim alias Boma Pachish alias Pachish of Geneva Camp, Papiya, Shopon, Falu, Jaynal Abedin Pachu, alias Joy, alias Yaba Pachu of Mohammadpur, Morsheda, Sopna, Kalu alias Kallu, Mukul, Khayrul Alam Rajib, Saleha Begum, Mahbubur Rahman, alias Rummon of Mirpur, Shilpi, Akhlima of Karwan Bazar, Moharaj, alias Moharaj Khalifa of Sat Tola slum, and many more who are on the run.
The Ministry of Home Affairs has made a list of the top drug dealers in Rajshahi. They are - Rabiul Islam, alias Rabi, and Nowshad Ali of Godagari upazila, Selim, Hazrat Ali, Najibur, Tofazzal, Haider Ali, Sohel, Setabur Rahman, alias Babu, Tipu and Ashraf Ali of Charghat upazila, and Selim, Khuku Rani, and Md Siddique from Durgapur Upazila. None of them have been caught yet.
The drug trade in Chittagong, next to the border district of Cox’s Bazar, through which yaba enters Bangladesh, is controlled by 114 people, according to a list of the Department of Narcotics Control (DNC). However, RAB officials say a recent Home Ministry list shows 58 names.
Among those listed are Md Manzurul Alam Manju, alias Kana Manju, and Maijja Mia of Bahaddar Hat, Faisal from Jamtala, Nurul Islam of Akbar Shah, Nurul Alam, alias Laden, of Panchlaish, Md Babul of Bakalia, Ashraf of Halishahar, Md Kamal of Bihari Colony of Akbar Shah, Rowshon Ara Begum of Chandgaon, Abu Taher, alias Thakur of Khulshi, Aklima Begum of Kotwali, Abdur Razzak of Pahartali, Babul Dutta of Hazari Lane, Shahidul Alam Hiru of Chandgaon, and Rezaul Khokon of Firingi Bazar.
According to Bangladesh Police headquarters, about 9,020 suspected criminals were arrested in the first ten days of the nationwide anti-narcotics drive that began on the first day of Ramadan, May 18.
RAB arrested a total of 733 alleged drug peddlers between May 4 and May 28.
In addition to the arrests, more than 110 such suspected criminals were killed in “gunfights” with either law enforcement or rival gangs.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said over 10,000 people had been arrested so far and no innocent individual was a victim of the drives.
However, human rights organizations and different political parties say mainly petty criminals or small distributors have been arrested so far, while the main suppliers and the godfathers remain out of reach.
Several law enforcement agency officials told Dhaka Tribune that the listed godfathers and dons have gone into hiding fearing arrest and have been doing everything they can to dodge security agencies, including going off the grid and ditching their mobile devices.
Devdas Bhatchariya, additional commissioner of the Detective Branch (DB) of police, said they are conducting their drives based on their own list of drug dealers.
“It is true that many have fled since the operations started. But we have amped up our vigilance,” he added.
Top Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) officials said the DMP has made a list of 100 top drug dealers, including those pushing yaba and who are accused in at least four or more cases, operating in the capital.
DMP Commissioner Md Asaduzzaman Mia recently also received lists of drug dealers prepared by local police stations. Concerned police and detectives are working jointly to catch these criminals.
However, none of the major dealers on the lists have been arrested so far.
On May 26, RAB raided the Geneva camp in the capital’s Mohammadpur area – arguably the largest source for drugs in Dhaka.
Although around 500 people were detained, the elite RAB force took legal action against only 150 of them after verification. But none of them were major players.
On this matter, RAB’s Legal and Media Wing Director, Mufti Mahmud Khan, said: “Many drug smugglers and dealers are currently in hiding because of our operations. Our drives will continue to arrest them.”
Our correspondent from Rajshahi Dulal Abdullah and Staff Reporter Anwar Hussain from Chittagong contributed to this report