Bangladesh is seeking to hold talks with Myanmar for discussing ways to prevent drug smuggling along the border, Home Ministry officials have said.
Home Ministry Additional Secretary Kamal Uddin Ahmed told the UNB that the foreign ministry has been asked to contact Myanmar to set a date for the talks.
Bangladesh has long been facing a massive inflow of smuggled contraband drugs like yaba and phensedyl from Myanmar.
A Home Ministry delegation, headed by Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan, has been on a visit to Bangladesh’s border areas with Myanmar since Friday to inspect measures to stop drug trafficking.
Asaduzzaman said Bangladesh was looking forward to a fruitful dialogue with the Myanmar authorities and find a solution to the long-standing issue.
Bangladesh officials said huge amount of illegal drugs, including contraband yaba tablets, are smuggled into the country through hilly areas of the border, especially Teknaf in Cox’s Bazar and Naikhongchhari in Banbardan.
The 250km land border between Bangladesh and Myanmar is also found out to be a hotspot for drug-smuggling between the countries.
Home Ministry Joint Secretary Siddikur Rahman said a high-profile monitoring committee comprising members of Police, Rapid Action Battalion, Coast Guard, Border Guard Bangladesh and officials of different anti-narcotic organisations, has already been formed to curb drug smuggling along border areas of the country.
The monitoring committee is headed by Home Ministry Joint Secretary SiddikUllah.
SiddikUllah said the monitoring committee will conduct an inspection of its own along the border areas this month.
The committee would make some crucial decisions based on the inspection in its first meeting that is scheduled to be held this month, he added.
According to the Home Ministry, over 49 lakh bottles of phensedyl, more than 654kg heroin, four lakh bottles of illegal alcohol, 194,608kg of hemp, five lakh ampoules injection drugs and over 51 lakh pieces of yaba tables were seized by the law enforcement agencies and the BGB along the border from July 2009 to June 2013.
About 48,000 drug-smuggling related cases are pending with the court.
Sources at the Department of Narcotics Control (DNC) told the UNB that they have already tracked down the wealth accumulation by some suspected smugglers and prepared a list.
This will be used by the Home Ministry to conduct a special anti-smuggling drive.
They said the DNC has prepared profiles of suspected drug traders along with their photos, as well as placing some recommendations to the Home Ministry to curb the smuggling of yaba.
DNC Additional Director Abu Taleb said patrols along the border in Cox’s Bazar and Teknaf, particularly along the Naf river that separates Bangladesh and Myanmar, should be increased to curb yaba-smuggling.