A total of 21 yaba dealers have officially surrendered to police at Teknaf Degree College ground at an event in Teknaf upazila of Cox’s Bazar.
They also laid down 10 guns and 30 rounds of bullets and surrendered 21,000 yaba pills before law enforcement in the presence of chief guest Bangladesh Police Chittagong Range Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Khandker Golam Faruq at the event presided by Cox’s Bazar Police Superintendent (SP) and organized by Cox’s Bazar police on Monday.
DIG Faruq while addressing the event said: “Myanmar authorities evicted 1.1 million Rohingyas and pushed them over to Bangladesh. Our yaba traders are bringing pills worth Tk50,000 crore from Myanmar each year. This is like digging our own grave.
The prime minister has a zero tolerance policy towards narcotics, corruption and terrorism. Police are executing that policy. This surrender is part of that.”
Congratulating the yaba traders for their surrender, he said the war will continue against drug dealers who are still with the trade.
“If evidence is found against anyone involved with the drug trade from police or community police, their address would be a prison cell,” he added.
Teknaf police OC Pradip Kumar Das said after filing cases against the yaba dealers who surrendered, they were produced before a court that sent them to jail.
The yaba traders who surrendered at the event are Nur Mohammad of Fuler Deil village under Hlila union of Teknaf, Imam Hossain of the same village, Farid Alam of Hwaikong Uttarpara, Shahdat Hossain of Moheshkhalipara, Md Ridwan and his brother Abdur Razzak of Moulvipara, Bashir Ahmed, former Chhatra Dal leader Abdul Amin Abul, Abdul Kalam, Md Rasel alias Haji Rasel of Moulvipara, Fazal Karim, Md Idris of Lejirpara under Satrang union, Abu Taiyub alias Modhu of Uttar Lombaripara under Teknaf, Md Zahed of Mathpara, Md Saddam of Khairatipara, Abdul Nur of Puratan Pallanpara, Md Ismail of Lamar Bazar, Abdul Gofur of Shikdarpara under Sabrang union, Md Hossain Kalu, and Mizanur Rahman of Ulchamori Konarpara under Hlila union.
On behalf of the respective yaba traders, Md Taiyub while addressing the event said: “In drug trade, there is a lot of money but no peace. Many of us missed Eids with our relatives after getting involved in this business.”
Prof Sirajul Haque of Bangla division at Teknaf Degree College told Dhaka Tribune after the event: “Yaba [trade] will not stop if the police, RAB and BGB do not cooperate fully.”
In January, nine alleged drug dealers were killed in “gunfights” with Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB), Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and police, according to Cox’s Bazar police.
Earlier, since May 2018 to December 31 last year, 209 reported drug dealers, robbers and criminals, including 56 Rohingyas, were killed in “gunfights” with law enforcement agencies.
On February 16 last year, 102 yaba dealers and smugglers had surrendered to police in front of Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal at an event in Teknaf.
Seven family members of former Awami League lawmaker and alleged yaba kingpin Abdur Rahman Bodi were among the yaba dealers who surrendered that day. However, Bodi was did not give himself up.
On January 20, police submitted charge sheet against 101 Cox's Bazar yaba dealers in two cases under the Arms Act and the Narcotics Control Act, dropping the name of one accused Md Rasel as he died.