Noting that nearly 80,000 drug-related cases are currently pending across the country, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed on Thursday said proposal was made for the formation of separate tribunal to expedite the disposal of the cases, reports UNB.
"At present, around 80,000 drug cases are pending nationwide. Of these, nearly 18,000 are in Dhaka and about 39,000 in Chattogram," he said while speaking at a press conference held at the conference room of the Ministry of Home Affairs at Secretariat, marking the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking 2026.
Initiatives are underway to prepare officials of the Department of Narcotics Control (DNC) with modern weapons, dog squads, detention facilities and improved transport support to strengthen anti-drug operations, he said.
Noting that nearly 8 million people in Bangladesh use one form of illicit drug or another, the minister said they account for about 4.88 per cent of the country's population.
He said the growing spread of new synthetic and semi-synthetic drugs has made the drug abuse situation more complex, prompting the government to strengthen and expand treatment and rehabilitation services for drug-dependent individuals.
Talking about the existing Narcotics Control Act, the minister said the existing act is no longer sufficient to effectively combat drug-related crimes.
"Many drug traffickers operate armed groups while DNC inspectors conducting raids have no weapons. It is like sending them into the field without any means of protection," he said.
He noted that the country lacks adequate laboratories for drug testing, creating delays in examining seized narcotics and completing legal procedures.
The minister said the DNC currently lacks its own detention facilities to hold arrested drug traffickers before handing them over to police stations.
Referring to the drug users, the minister said "To bring drug users under treatment as quickly as possible, the government has undertaken a number of initiatives."
