Special drive against drug smugglers under plan

The government is planning to conduct special drives against suspected drug traders who amassed huge wealth in a very short time by smuggling Yaba through Bangladesh-Myanmar border, officials said. Sources at the Department of Narcotics Control (DNC) said they have already tracked down the wealth accumulation by some suspected people and prepared a list, which will help the fresh anti-smuggling drive the Home Ministry is chalking out. They noted that a number of people at Teknaf in Cox’s Bazar amassed wealth very quickly through illegal drug trading, and that the DNC have already prepared profiles of the drug traders along with their images. DNC has already placed some recommendations to Home Ministry to curb Yaba smuggling, including steps against the suspected ringleaders through the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC), DNC officials have said. Sources at the Home Ministry said a high-profile monitoring committee comprising members of Police, Rapid Action Battalion (Rab), Coast Guard, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and officials of different anti-narcotic organisations is expected to be formed in accordance with the recommendations put forward by the DNC. The officials are of the view that smuggling and illegal trade of Yaba will begin to decrease significantly if action is taken against those suspected drug traders. When his attention was drawn to the matter, Home Ministry official Siddiqur Rahman said hilly border areas are deemed as safe smuggling routes for smuggling Yaba. He said the ministry is now implementing the recommendations made by the DNC officials to check the entry of the drug into the country. DNC director general Ataur Rahman said the department officials with the help of law enforcers have taken effective measures in frontier districts, including Cox’s Bazar, to check Yaba trading. He also said more mobile courts are being conducted against the drug traders and smugglers these days. However, Abu Taleb, additional director of DNC Dhaka unit, said it is a challenge for the government to halt Yaba smuggling. Ataur also noted that Yaba smuggling into the country can be checked through bilateral discussions between Bangladesh and Myanmar. He mentioned that a meeting between the DNC and its Myanmar counterpart was held in 2011 to discuss the issue of Yaba smuggling. Another similar meeting between the two countries is likely to be held at the end of this month, he said, adding that regular talks with the Myanmar authorities through Foreign Ministry are also going on. State Minister for Home Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said the government is going to take stern steps to stop the use of Yaba and its smuggling into the country, according to UNB.