More than 400 drug peddlers running illegal trade in city

More than 400 drug peddlers are running illegal business at about 374 spots in the capital, intelligence sources said. A number of god fathers, including two incumbent ward commissioners of Dhaka City Corporation and one listed absconding 'top terror' control the entire illegal drug trading in the city, reports UNB. Despite law enforcers' routine and special raids to combat the illegal drug trading, the situation virtually remains unchanged as most of the arrested drug dealers resume their businesses after securing bails from courts. According to court sources the arrested drug paddlers came out of jail due to loopholes in police reports in connection with the cases. Department of Narcotics Control sources said the drugs seized amounts to only 10 per cent of the total drugs being smuggled into the country. Some 0.1 million people are engaged in this illegal drug trade and 30 per cent of those arrested on charges of drug peddling are women and children. The intelligence sources said most of the drugs, which are being sold in the drug dens are heroin, cannabis and Phensidyl as drug addicts prefer those drugs while Yaba is a 'fashion drug'. Intelligence sources said the highest number of illegal drug spots have been identified in Jatrabari, Demra, Shyampur and Kadamtoli Thana areas where 93 drug dens have been identified. About 87 drug paddlers are running their businesses at those spots. Another 72 drug dens have been identified in Dhanmondi, Hazaribagh and New Market thana areas and 49 other dens are being run in Pallabi thana area.