A yaba dealer in custody has told detectives that a section of police and BGB members are involved in smuggling at the border and most of their drives and seizures are nothing but an eyewash.
The law enforcers stationed at the border do not generally take part in direct peddling; rather they play ball with carriers in exchange for “commission on piece-rate basis.” They make sure that people carrying drugs pass through check posts without any hassle and the consignments reach Dhaka safely.
The drug dealer in custody said the law enforcers usually let the big consignments pass through, and conduct drives and seize yaba tablets from the smaller consignments. There has also been cases where it was found later that the seized tablets were all fake.
The Detective Branch (DB) of Police got this information from a yaba dealer named Abdullah Zubayeer, who was picked up in the capital's Khilgaon area on Sunday.
A total of 55,000 yaba pills, a Mitsubishi Pajero SUV and some yaba-making equipment were seized from his possession. Three of his associates were also picked up during the drive. A Dhaka court later put Zubayeer and his associates on seven days' remand.
According to Zubayeer, consignments of yaba first reach the Bangladesh part of the Naf River in Teknaf of Cox's Bazar with the help of law enforcers. The drugs are then carried to Dhaka by road or by rail.
An official, who was part of the team that had grilled Zubayeer and his associates, said: “The members of BGB and other law enforcement agencies take a certain percentage from each consignment. They also help the carriers pass through check posts without actually getting checked.”
The official also said: “We have got the names of some members of the law enforcement agencies and the BGB. After verifying the information, we will contact with the BGB authority take action against the members of the law enforcement agencies.”
He said: “Zubayeer and his gang bought Yaba pills at Tk130 per piece. Law enforcers and BGB members took Tk20 for each piece of smuggled yaba. After bringing the tablets to the capital, they sold them at Tk200 to the dealers.”
Zubayeer has also reportedly told detectives during interrogation that he lives in Cox's Bazar now, but he is originally from the Mondu district of Myanmar. He read up to grade seven in Myanmar. After finishing his secondary education in Dajeeling of India, he came back to Mondu. A few years later, he shifted to Chittagong along with his family.
A couple of years later, Zubayeer started working for Haji Saiful, a local drug dealer from Cox's Bazar. Soon, he developed a good relationship with some Myanmarese yaba-makers and dealers and built his own smuggling racket.
He said he had earned enough money from the business to buy two luxurious flats at Niketan housing society in the capital's Gulshan and established own clearing and forwarding (C&F) agency.
Zubayeer said he had bought the SUV that police had seized from him, for Tk65 lakh from his Niketan neighbour Ratan six months ago.
The DB official said they were now checking the backgrounds of Ratan, who Zubayeer said was a garments accessories trader.