The Special Response Battalion (SRB-3) has arrested four people, including a Chinese national, for allegedly smuggling Bangladeshi medicines used to treat cancer and other serious diseases abroad.
The arrestees are Chinese national Li Fen, 34; Bakul Nahar Bithi, 24, from Rangpur; Yunus Ali, 26, from Satkhira; and Sajib Howlader, 28, from Patuakhali.
The elite force also seized medicines worth around Tk7.5 crore and Tk6,06,140 in cash from the alleged smuggling ring.
SRB-3 Commander Lt Col Faizul Arefin disclosed the details at a press briefing at the force’s headquarters in Shahjahanpur, Dhaka, on Thursday afternoon.
He said the four were arrested during a raid in Uttara on Wednesday evening for allegedly smuggling medicines abroad and evading government revenue.
According to SRB-3, Li Fen entered Bangladesh in August 2024 on a 30-day tourist visa. Two to three days before his visa expired, he would return to China and then re-enter Bangladesh on another tourist visa within a day or two.
Bithi studied business administration at Hunan Normal University in China from 2019 to 2023 and learned Chinese language there. After returning to Bangladesh, she worked as an interpreter for Chinese nationals.
The gang allegedly bought medicines at relatively low prices in Bangladesh and shipped them abroad for higher profits. The medicines were sent by courier to countries including Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.
The consignments included drugs used to treat cancer and other complex and chronic diseases, SRB-3 said.
Investigators found that the gang packed 24-25kg of medicines in each carton for shipment abroad.
Lt Col Arefin said Laos customs authorities seized a 100kg consignment of medicines on October 13 after it was sent by courier without valid documentation.
He said the illegal export of medicines without following relevant laws and regulations had tarnished Bangladesh’s image internationally.
The preliminary investigation also found evidence of links between the gang and some unscrupulous employees of pharmaceutical companies, who allegedly became involved in the illegal trade of medicines for higher profits.