Three-man probe body formed

CHITTAGONG, June 28: Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate has constituted a three-member committee to probe into the presence of liquid cocaine in the edible oil imported through Chittagong Port.

Deputy director of Chittagong Customs Intell­i­gence at the Customs House Zakir Hossain is the convener of the investigation team.

When contacted over phone, Mr Hossain told this correspondent that he could not yet start working as the letter assigning him with the responsibility did not reach him from the head office until Sunday evening.

Sources said the NBR (National Board of Revenue) is investigating into the incident. Sources, however, declined to give details about how they are communicating in this connection.

Liquid cocaine was found in the lab test of the samples collected from the drum detained at Chittagong Port on suspicion of containing drugs brought in oil drums in the name of sunflower edible oil. The drums contain 185 kilograms of oil each.

Collected samples were tested at BCSIR (Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research) and Bangladesh Drug Testing Lab in Dhaka. The tests revealed presence of liquid cocaine in the sample collected from drum no 96 of the container.

Acting on a tip-off the Customs Intelligence and the police detained the consignment on June 06. The consignment was imported from Bolivia via Montevideo port of Uruguay on May 12 by M/s Khan Jahan Ali Ltd, a Khatunganj-based importer.

Police arrested one Sohail, manager of Prime Hatchery, a sister concern of the Khan Jahan Ali Ltd in connection with the incident.

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