The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the global landscape and brought many parts of the economy to a standstill, but one industry may be profiting in the shadows: the illegal drug trade.
Drug traffickers have benefitted from law enforcement manpower being stretched thin by the Covid-19 pandemic, and they have changed their tactics to suit the situation. Heroin, yaba, and phensedyl are being smuggled in ambulances or crates of fruits and vegetables.
Sometimes the crates are even marked as relief supplies.
On April 6, Cox's Bazar District Detective Branch (DB) police arrested three people with 20,000 yaba pills in an ambulance from the Link Road on the Cox's Bazar-Teknaf Road. This was one of many consignments that Yaba traders from Chittagong, Cox's Bazar, and Teknaf have been sending across the country.
In another incident on June 9, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) seized 150 bottles of phensedyl that had been concealed in crates of mangoes. Two people were arrested transporting the crates by CNG through the Mohammadpur Aziz Mohalla area.
In some cases, it was found that members of police were cooperating with and even transporting products for drug smugglers. A sub-inspector (SI) was arrested in the capital's Mohammadpur with 11,000 yaba pills on June 15.
Inspector General of Police (IGP) Benazir Ahmed has issued a stern warning to any members of law enforcement who may be involved in the drug trade, saying they will not be exempted from punishment.
“The police must be drug free if they want to be the people’s police. No police members will take drugs, trade in drugs, or associate with drug dealers. We all need to work together to build Bangladesh as a drug-free country,” he added.
What does the data say?
The seizure of illegal drug shipments had dropped after the country went into Covid-19 lockdown in late March. But Police, RAB, and the Department of Narcotics Control (DNC), are now once again ramping up anti-drug activities in Dhaka and Cox’s Bazar.
According to Police headquarters, 7,623 narcotics cases were filed in March but only 1,639 in April. In May, the number of cases filed rose to 2,460.
The number of cases filed by the Department of Narcotics Control show similar trends in police records, with 1,412 cases filed in March, only 81 in April, and then 480 in May.
The quantity of drugs seized by various law enforcement agencies reflects the trend in cases filed.
The Department of Narcotics seized 74,734 yaba pills, 0.741kg of heroin and 1,625kg of cannabis in March, but only 17,769 yaba pills, 0.575kg of heroin, and 22.78kg of cannabis in April. In May, the quantity of drugs seized rose slightly from the previous month to 19,720 yaba pills, 1.045kg of heroin, and 104.625kg of cannabis.
Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) seized 933,082 yaba pills, 0.28kg of heroin, 928kg of cannabis and 40,314 bottles of phensedyl in March. In April, they seized 310,621 yaba pills, 0.4kg heroin, 560kg of cannabis and 22,951 bottles of phensedyl. In May they seized 447,867 yaba pills, 1.383kg heroin, 1,287kg cannabis and 33,933 bottles of phensedyl.
BGB were also able to provide statistics for June, when they seized 589,343 yaba pills, 1.21kg heroin, 1,416kg cannabis and 40,031 bottles of phensedyl.
RAB could not provide a monthly breakdown, but they said they have conducted over a thousand raids from March to June and made 3,630 arrests. In this time, they seized 2,002,635 yaba pills, 29kg of heroin and 4,898kg of cannabis.
BGB Director (Operations) Lt Col Fayzur Rahman told Dhaka Tribune that they are working tirelessly to protect the border while ensuring their own safety from Covid-19.
“We have seized a lot of drugs at the border and arrested those involved in smuggling,” he added.
RAB Legal and Media Wing Director Ashik Billah said they have noticed that the demand for drugs has not decreased in any way during the coronavirus period and supply has not decreased because of the demand.
He also noted that drug smugglers had shifted tactics in the wake of the pandemic.
“We intensified our anti-drug operations in the Covid-19 pandemic, and that is why the results for drugs seized are better than any other time. Our intelligence has been enhanced and the anti-drug campaign has accelerated,” the RAB official added.
Department of Narcotics Control Director (operation and Intelligence), DIG AFM Masum Rabbani, said that due to the coronavirus pandemic and the general holiday announced by the government, the department could not carry out operations as usual. They have now started work to ensure the safety of their members.
He added that law enforcement agencies would continue separate operations, while a joint operation will also be launched soon.
