Yaba traffickers along the Bangladesh-Myanmar border have adopted increasingly sophisticated methods, using luxury vehicles, counterfeit government and military stickers, hidden compartments and fake identities to transport large consignments of the narcotic across the country, prompting heightened concern among law enforcement agencies.
Authorities say overland trafficking through Cox's Bazar has regained momentum after a temporary shift to maritime routes, with private cars and high-end SUVs now emerging as preferred carriers for large shipments.
Recent operations by police, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and the Department of Narcotics Control (DNC) reveal a growing pattern of traffickers disguising their vehicles with fake stickers of the Bangladesh Army, government ministries, lawyers, media organisations and political parties to avoid scrutiny at checkpoints.
The latest seizure came on July 27, when BGB personnel at the Hwaikyong checkpoint in Teknaf intercepted a luxury private car carrying 106,000 Yaba tablets. One suspect, Saiful Islam Khokon of PM Khali in Cox's Bazar Sadar, was arrested.
Officials said several major consignments have been intercepted in Cox's Bazar, Ramu and Ukhiya during July, highlighting the resurgence of organised cross-border trafficking networks.
One of the most significant incidents occurred on July 24, when police recovered 28,000 Yaba tablets from a Toyota Land Cruiser displaying a fake Bangladesh Army sticker near Cox's Bazar Central Bus Terminal. The tablets had been concealed inside a specially built compartment beneath the vehicle's seats.
The driver, retired army member Obaidul Hasan, was arrested after allegedly attempting to flee. Police said they were investigating whether the operation was linked to a larger trafficking syndicate.
A day earlier, BGB members seized 10,685 Yaba tablets hidden inside a specially modified engine compartment of a private car travelling from Teknaf to Chattogram. The driver, Md Farid of Rangunia, reportedly admitted transporting the drugs.
Earlier this month, police recovered 30,000 Yaba tablets concealed inside a modified CNG cylinder of an unregistered private car at Himchhari on the Marine Drive road. Investigators said the cylinder had been converted into a secret chamber designed to evade routine inspections.
In another operation, DNC officials seized 6,000 Yaba tablets from a private car bearing counterfeit stickers of the Ministry of Home Affairs and Mirpur DOHS. Three suspects, including two women, were arrested. Investigators believe the group was posing as tourists to reduce suspicion at security checkpoints.
Law enforcement officials said traffickers are constantly changing their methods, using concealed compartments in seats, engine bays, air-conditioning panels and gas cylinders. Women, children and tourists are also being used as cover to minimise suspicion during roadside inspections.
Authorities also expressed concern over the widespread misuse of counterfeit official stickers. They noted that fake logos of government agencies, the military, the judiciary and media organisations can be reproduced easily at commercial printing shops, while the absence of a digital verification system at checkpoints makes immediate authentication difficult.
Cox's Bazar Sadar Model Police Station Officer-in-Charge Sheikh Mohammad Ali said the misuse of official insignia to facilitate drug trafficking was a serious matter.
"We are investigating whether organised criminal networks are behind these incidents," he said.
DNC Cox's Bazar Deputy Director Somen Mondal said traffickers were increasingly relying on private vehicles and fake government identities.
"Intelligence surveillance has been strengthened, and inspections at key checkpoints have been intensified," he said.
Lieutenant Colonel Zahirul Islam, commanding officer of BGB's Ukhiya Battalion (64 BGB), said security forces were maintaining strict surveillance on suspicious vehicles following the recent increase in luxury car-based smuggling.
Legal experts said traffickers transporting commercial quantities of narcotics through specially modified vehicles could face the death penalty or life imprisonment under the Narcotics Control Act, 2018 (amended in 2023), while those using counterfeit government insignia could also be prosecuted under the Penal Code for forgery, personation and fraud.
Local residents and anti-drug campaigners have urged authorities to install X-ray scanners on major highways and introduce a nationwide digital verification system for official vehicle stickers and registration details, arguing that conventional roadside searches alone are no longer sufficient to combat increasingly sophisticated trafficking networks.