The recent acknowledgment by the government about the possible infiltration of drugs posed an alarming call for the nation. The country’s elite crime fighting unit, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) on March 4, 2022 arrested a few members of a trans-national drug trafficking gang. They were held with large quantities of “ice” smuggled across the border. Law enforcement agencies managed to seize 12 kilograms of ice whose market value stood at TK 50 crore.
Methamphetamines have always been a major concern for nations battling drug trafficking. In Bangladesh, the main source of this synthetic drug is Myanmar where one of its derivatives, “ice” is supposedly produced in bulk quantities in factories. According to RAB, these cartels operate by charging only 20% to 30% of the payment in cash or other illegal money transfer systems like hundi.
This mode of transaction is conducted by smugglers from both the countries. They do this by camouflaging themselves as fishermen who gather out in the deep sea, far away from the prying eyes of the law enforcement agencies. They venture out at night, usually in two separate engine boats; one for security and one for carrying the drugs.
Allegedly, consignments of these drugs are first dropped off and then delivered to one of Bangladesh’s remote islands, where it is packaged into small quantities. Later, they are delivered to various places in Bangladesh, from where the drugs are then transported by road to a wide range of destinations. 10 grams of ice in Myanmar costs about Tk1,500 to Tk2,000, which gets trafficked to Bangladesh and fetches a market valuation of Tk25,000 to Tk35,000.
During transportation, the drugs are kept hidden using innovative ways so that law enforcers are unable to detect them at border check-points. One such proven technique employed by drug traffickers is to shove the pills inside dried fruits and fish. Once one method becomes known to the law enforcement officers, the drug traffickers immediately switch to other methods of smuggling.
In recent years, crystal meth has found its safe haven in Bangladesh since it is far more potent compared to Yaba, a drug that dominated for over a decade. Ice is trafficked using the same routes as Yaba and quickly became popular among the affluent in Bangladesh. Young people from wealthy families are allegedly its main consumers.
According to an estimation, the number of people addicted to drugs was around 7.5 million in 2019, and there appears to be a constant rise despite strict vigilance by law enforcement agencies across the country.
The Bangladesh government developed a “zero-tolerance” policy on drugs in 2018, and declared war against drug traffickers. It undertook various measures to curb the spread of the drugs across the country. For instance, attempts were made to make dope tests mandatory at all educational and government job admissions. Another policy called “Narcotics Control Bill 2018” has been implemented by the government where the punishment for possession of drugs has been upgraded to life sentence or death penalty.
The usual route through which a lion’s share of the drugs entered Bangladesh has come under intense scrutiny and law enforcement agencies have strengthened security at all border checkpoints. Traffickers are always on the lookout for novel ways to transport drugs, such as exploiting the Rohingya to carry drugs under the radar. The enforcement agencies are continuously adapting to the challenges and successfully tackling the drug menace by being vigilant and making arrests.
The situation might become out of control if the spread of crystal meth is not tackled immediately. Since Bangladesh is a major transit for drug trafficking, diplomatic efforts need to be stepped up to locate possible factories along the border and shut them down. The locals need to be made aware about the implications of transporting drugs, raising awareness among the youth about the long-term consequences of drugs, increasing security at major border check posts, and handing out appropriate punishment to drug traffickers.
Cases against smugglers cannot be pending for long because it encourages the drug cartels to operate with impunity. The source of the drugs must be identified and the people who are financing the shipments must be arrested. The existing laws must be strictly enforced, and the traffickers must face harsh punishment.
Otherwise, millions of lives and families will be devastated.
Farajj Rahman Khan is a freelance contributor.
