The war against narcotics has taken on a new dimension in Chittagong as police nabbed two families of drug-peddlers in the past two weeks, suggesting a new trend in the business of drugs and organised crime.
It has been learnt that a growing number of drug dealers and peddlers are using family members, including children and parents, to rendezvous with addicts and sell drugs – in the belief that doing so will strengthen their network and increase reliability.
Sources at the Department of Narcotics Control (DNC) said the number of such families in the district was not known yet but that it would be pretty large, as a number of drug-peddlers arrested in recent months had confessed to involving their families in their busi-nesses.
Officials at the detective branch of Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) arrested a member of one such family with 40 litres of con-traband liquor on Sunday. Achia Begum, the arrestee, had been conducting her business with the help of her two sons for the last 10 years, said Babul Akhter, an additional deputy commissioner with the branch.
The 56-year-old woman was accused in 11 drug-related cases, while her two sons were accused in several others.
Police, on 25 November, arrested a couple – Manik, 38, and Aklima, 30 – who had been selling cannabis for the past two years. Accord-ing to their confession, they would often use members of their family to create and strengthen their network and boost profits.
“We arrested them several times before, but they managed to come out of jail every time by securing bail, each time they reverted to their old ways,” said Babul.
He also said costs related to court appearances had led some of the arrestees to resume their operations and be arrested again sub-sequently. “Achia was arrested a total of five times; she came out of jail after 5-6 days on every occasion. She has to appear before court 10 to 12 times a month and needs Tk1,000-1,500 for each appearance.”
“Likewise, Aklima, who was arrested on 25 November, was arrested again within a week of her release from jail.”
The situation was further complicated by a loophole in the existing anti-narcotics law which allows prosecution of only the individu-als found in possession of contraband drugs and liquor, allowing safe passage for those behind them. Experts say such leniency only serves to lift the morale of drug ringleaders.
Banaz Kumar Majumder, additional commissioner for the crimes and operation division at the CMP, told the Dhaka Tribune that most of the drug-peddlers came from low-income family backgrounds and used their close relatives in the manner. “There is the temptation of easy money but there are dangers too. So they need people they can trust.”
According to sources, most of the peddlers make their dens at: The Barisal Colony near Chittagong Railway Station, New Shahid Lane at Ispahani Circle, Kadamtali, Madarbari, Bakalia, Kotwali and the Scrap Colony of Panchlaish. There are also many shanties used as sales points for drugs.
The drug business has reportedly boomed in the port city because of a lack of vigilance on the part of the law enforcement agencies, and a prevalence of drug consumption in recent times. Dr Anupam Sen, vice-chancellor of Premier University and a social scientist, said drug-peddling was different from other illegal businesses. “All members of a family can become involved with the business, if they want. They are mostly illiterate and unaware of the consequences that their actions might cause.”
He stressed the need for increased awareness among the people about the adverse effects of drug abuse and trades.
