Yaba trafficking into the country goes on unabated--rather in menacingly higher volumes year on year--despite various preventive measures taken by different law-enforcement agencies.
Such unrelenting trade in the aphrodisiac drug leaves guardians of the juvenile as well as anti-drug activists both in deep concerns.
The current statistics of seizure indicate a serious increase in the inflow of Yaba: a total of 28,21,528 pieces of the narcotic tablets were seized by state-run agencies in 2013 against 19,51,392 pieces that were recorded in 2012.
Such incremental invasion by the drug lords is evident from the data of the Department of Narcotics Control (DNC)-the official agency for such drug control that struggles to get anywhere near the ability to fight it out.
In the first six months of this calendar year (January-June), some 1745,715 pieces of tablet of the Amphetamine-type stimulant (ATS) have already been seized by the law-enforcement agencies and senior DNC officials expressed their apprehension that the number could go past 3.5-million mark at the end of 2014.
The number of seized Yaba tablets was only 129,644 in 2009 followed by 812,716 in 2010 and 1,360,186 in 2011, showing the rise in a crescendo.
Intelligence officials of the police and the DNC said illicit trafficking in Yaba is on an alarming increase because of growing demand for the stimulating drug as the number of addicts increased gradually as day progresses.
Citing their intelligence findings, they said traders of the unauthorized drug adopted new tactics to bring the item into Bangladesh by dodging eyes of the law-enforcers.
Director (Intelligence and Operations) of the DNC Pranab Kumar Neogi said the traders are now using women of lower-income groups to carry the drugs towards various destinations.
"Both female and male carriers do their respective part by keeping 100-300 yaba tablets into their hidden body parts. So, it's become very difficult to trace them," he said, adding that their intelligence officials recently arrested such a female carrier from Cox's Bazar area. Yaba, a Thai term meaning 'crazy medicine', is an addictive and extremely harmful drug. The tablet flows into the country from Thailand via Myanmar through Teknaf and Bandarban borders, according to the DNC.
Teens and youngsters of the affluent families are the main consumers of this drug which makes its users excited and gives them instant euphoria but later on casts a deadly effect.
Talking to the FE, Director-General of the DNC Mohammad Atwar Rahman admitted the fact of growing trend in Yaba consumption and trade, saying that they cannot stop inflow of the stimulating illicit tablets into the country despite tight preventive measures taken by the security agencies in and around the 49 kilometre-long border with Myanmar.
He said fishermen of both the countries first exchange the drug while fishing in Naf River, which separates Bangladesh and Myanmar. Then, the paid carriers transport those consignments towards different destinations by road and waterway.
"Now we focus most on tackling Yaba inflow, which topped the list of contraband drugs here," he added.
Seeking anonymity, a senior official of the DNC said fatty housewives and girls of many affluent families take those tablets for lessening their weight-and, ultimately, they end up getting addicted.
Social Service Officer at the state-owned Central Drug Addiction Treatment Centre Ruzena Islam said some 8-10 housewives, who took yaba for being slim, are taking treatment from the outdoor of the centre.
"The addicts have diverted the pattern of their addiction to Yaba because of its easy availability here. There are 40 addicts now undergoing treatment at the centre, and 75 per cent of them are Yaba addicts," she said.
Talking about the matter, former DG of the DNC Mohammad Iqbal said the situation cannot be improved or controlled through only conducting drives by the law-enforcers unless people's participation in the initiative is ensured.
He also suggested taking necessary measures for raising the success rate in narcotics-related cases as more than 50 percent persons accused in such cases are acquitted.
He said the state-owned department like those in other countries does not have any specific data on the number of drug addicts as well as the quantity of the illicit drug smuggled into Bangladesh annually.
"We could seize only a small part of the consignments. If such trend of Yaba inflow continues to grow, the situation will be deteriorating at a level that many of us cannot imagine," he added.
Dr Arup Ratan Choudhury, founder-president of the Association for the Prevention of Drug Abuse (MANAS), expressed his deep concern over the growing use of drugs like yaba.
"It's time we opened our eyes and be aware of the deadly effect of drugs as it is silently destroying our younger generation. Every guardian should inquire about the status of the friends of their children," he said.
Yaba barons go reigning undeterred
Jubair Hasan | Published: August 23, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00
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