Around 20 drug cartels in Lalmonirhat are using women living near the border to carry illegal drugs into the country in a bid to dodge law enforcement agencies.
The cartels hire these women at lower wage for transporting Indian contraband drugs through different border routes.
At least 1,000 women on 22 border routes of five upazilas in Lalmonirhat have been working as drug mules for the last two years, officials in Lalmonirhat Narcotics Department said.
The officials also said 20 women drug transporters were held in possession of Indian phensidyl and hemp at Lalmonirhat sadar, Patgram and Hatibandha upazilas in the last one month.
Afzalur Rahman, a NGO worker in Mogholhat border area in Lalmonirhat sadar upazila, said taking the advantage of bordering people’s poverty, the drugs smuggling cartels pay the families of these poor women handsomely.
“We came to know that male persons are mainly pursuing female person to get involved in the drug smuggling,” he said.
Two women drug transporters Dulali Begum, 30, and Tahmina Begum, 45, who live in Mogholhat border area in Lalmonirhat sadar upazila were arrested in possession of 80 bottles of Phensidyl by the Narcotics Department officials in Sakoya area on the Lalmonirhat-Mogholhat road on Friday night.
Tahmina Begum confessed to Narcotics Department officials that she was hired for Tk5,000 for transporting 40 bottles of phensidyl from Mogholhat border to Rangpur city on that day.
Earlier, she transported a contingent of 100 bottles phensidyl on Wednesday night, she said.
“I am transporting drugs as I have to run my family,” she said.
“Many poor women at Mogholhat border have been working as contraband item drug transporters just to survive,” she said.
“We only transport the drugs, we don’t own or sell them. I do this twice a week and get Tk5,000 for transporting 40 to 50 bottles of phensidyl or 10kg hemp from Mogholhat border to Rangpur city,” said Dualali Begum, another female transporter.
“Women living in border areas are hired to transport drugs as law enforcers do not suspect us, and we can easily carry the drugs by train or bus,” she said, adding about 20 drug gangs are active at Mogholhat border for smuggling contraband items like phensidyl, hemp and wine from India.
Seeking anonymously, a drug syndicate gang leader at Mogholhat border said they transported 40 to 300 bottles of phensidyl every day, paying the women Tk2,000 to 5,000.
Sub-Inspector in Narcotics Department in Lalmonirhat Ataur Rahman said at least 100 syndicate gangs were active along the Lalmonirhat district border to smuggle Indian drugs.
“For transporting smuggled Indian drugs, all these hired bordering poor women wear veil,” he said, adding Narcotics Department officials are keeping strong vigilance on veil-wearing women in border areas.