With so much anti-drug campaigning – starting from the war on drugs to 102 drug dealers surrendering to law enforcement agencies on February 16, a whopping Tk340 million worth of yaba was seized in Cox’s Bazar last month.
Law enforcement agencies have bolstered their surveillance in and around the border areas to no avail. Drug dealers have found newer routes from land to sea in the Teknaf upazila to smuggle the drug – that is still high in demand.
Even with such deterrents, including the almost year old war on drugs that started on May 1 last year, stopping the inflow of the drug seems to be an insurmountable endeavour.
Additional Superintendent of Cox's Bazar police Md Iqbal Hossain told the Dhaka Tribune: “Even though some 102 yaba ringleaders have already surrendered to the police, we are still quite concerned about the inflow of the pills into the country.”
"In the last two weeks, seven drug traders were killed in anti-drug drives, while a total of 37 were killed in Cox's Bazar in previous drives. We cannot deny that yaba consignments are entering into Bangladesh from Myanmar. So, we are taking strict measures to stop yaba smuggling,” he added.
New routes
It was also recently discovered that drug dealers had changed their routes to include fishing ports through deep sea ports. They pay large sums of money to fishing trawlers to carry their consignment from the deep sea ports and cover the drugs with salt to hide the smell which then ends up in small fishing ports throughout the country.
Earlier, a Coast Guard official seeking anonymity told the Dhaka Tribune: “They unload their supply at four places: Patharghata river port at Barguna, Mahipur river port at Kuakata in Patuakhali, Bhola, and areas adjacent to Dhaka (depending on demand), from where they supply the drugs throughout the country.”
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Because of the zero tolerance policy adopted last year, law enforcement officials have also said: “They choose these routes because of three reasons: lack of surveillance, lack of a radar and monitoring system, and it is also an easy escape route,” adding that there are a lot of unregistered boats they use so they cannot be tracked either.
The Coast Guard seized some 70,600 yaba pills in by mid January alone this year, when drug dealers began to surrender in Cox's Bazar.
Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) 15 Cox's Bazar office Company Commander Major Mehedi Hasan said the force is playing an important role in the anti-drug drive. “We have increased the surveillance of the sea routes as they [drug traders] prefer this path to smuggle yaba.”
He said: "In anti-drug drives so far, we have recovered around 191,600 yaba pills, and detained 17 people. Around 10 cases have also been filed in this regard."
"Recently Nurul Alam, the prime suspect of the Cox’s Bazar Ansar Camp attack, was killed in a gunfight with us."
Will it ever stop without the arrest of the kingpins?
On February 16 when around 102 yaba dealers surrendered at a ceremony named “Surrendering program of drug traders to return to normal life,” held at Teknaf Pilot High School with 30 locally made firearms and 350,000 yaba pills, and 70 cartridges, there was hope that this was a good start to the end of yaba in Bangladesh.
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But many on the Home Ministry’s list of names of the yaba dealers are yet to surrender. There is 1,151 names of yaba traders from Cox’s Bazar, and of them 73 are top level yaba trade kingpins.
Apart from that, the list includes the name of ex MP, Abdur Rahman Bodi, and 26 members of his family as well.
Names of Awami League, BNP, and Jamaat leaders are also on the list.
Abdur Rahman Bodi, former MP from Cox’s Bazar’s Ukhiya and Teknaf, is widely believed to be a lynchpin in the drug scene. On every list compiled by the Home Ministry and the Department of Narcotics Control, Bodi’s name and that of his family members, have been commonplace. Yet, he was never charged with anything. Moreover, the historic surrender on Saturday was largely Bodi’s endeavour. Hence his absence was noticeable, and the rumour mill began to work overtime.
Bodi’s involvement in organizing the surrender comprised of him publicly calling for drug dealers to turn themselves in, issuing ultimatums, and touring his former constituency. About two months ago, numerous drug dealers, including close family members of Bodi, including his four brothers, several cousins, and nephews, went into police custody – with them staying in palatial homes built with drug money – before the day of surrender.
Due to the involvement of his kin, and the numerous allegations surrounding him, many speculated that Bodi would also be surrendering. But surrender or not, his absence prompted questions.
Small fish fried on a porous border
Somen Mandal, assistant director of Department of Narcotics Control's Cox's Bazar unit, saying that even with a shortage of human resources, their members are still working tirelessly for the anti-drug drive.
"We are especially conducting drives against the low-level drug traders in the district and have been able to successfully arrest the smugglers as well."
BGB Teknaf 42 Battalion Commander Lieutenant Colonel Md Asadud Zaman Chowdhury said: "We have increased surveillance of the Bangladesh-Myanmar border to prevent yaba smuggling and are also conducting drives in different points along the border.
"At the same time, we are working on raising public awareness to prevent smuggling.”
Bangladesh shares a 270km border area with Myanmar; most of the yaba—which enters the country through the Cox's Bazar border—is smuggled through the sea route.
The drug is smuggled through: Teknaf, Shahporir Dwip, Khurer Mukh, Ghola para, Dakshin para, Majherpara beach, Sabrang union's Kochubonia, Hariakhali, Katabonia, Alir Del, Mundar Del, Maheshkhalia para beach, Noakhalia para, Kunkar para of the Teknaf sadar union, Shamlapur, Shilkhali, Mathabhanga, Bara del, Ukhiya's Inani, Himchhari, Darianagar, and many more of the Baharchhara union.
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Besides, the drug trading points near the Naf river are: Shahporir Dwip's Mistripara, Jettighat, Jaliapara, Noapara, and Sabrang; Nazir para, and Moulvi para of the Teknar sadar union; Jaliapara, Kayukkhali para dock, Naittang para dock, Boroitali, and Keruntali of the Teknaf municipality; Leda, Jadimura, Alikhali, Damdamiya, Chowdhurypara, Nhilla, and Moulvibazar of the Nhilla union.
Kharangkhali, Kanjarpara, Lombabil, and Unchiprang of Whykong union, Ukhia union's Thaingkhali, Palongkhali, Balukhali, Ghumdhum, Rejupara, Tambru, Achhartali, Dhalarmukh, and many others.
Master plan
RAB alone has conducted 611 individual anti-drug operations from May 4-24 last year, arresting 709 suspected drug dealers, while 19 died in gunfights with the law enforcement agencies. A total of Tk34 crore was also recovered in the raids.
On condition of anonymity, a RAB official said a “master plan” had been made to tackle yaba entering the country through Cox’s Bazar.
Under the plan, all routes through which yaba is smuggled in the Teknaf and Ukhia upazilas of the district would be destroyed, he said.
But judging from the recent seizures, the drug dealers have been able to avoid detection and make new routes faster than law enforcement are able to catch on.
