‘Yaba dealers using expats as carriers’

With an aim to stop narcotics smuggling from Bangladesh to abroad through expatriates, the airlines have to ensure that their passengers packed their own luggage.

Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen came up with the suggestion after the director general (DG) of Department of Narcotics Control (DNC) said that a tendency of getting involved with narcotics smuggling was found among Bangladeshi workers going or staying abroad.

DNC DG Muhammed Ahsanul Jabbar said this at the first virtual meeting of the National Narcotics Control Advisory Committee on December 28 last year.

DG Jabbar also said such illegal practices could have a negative impact on the labour market. In response to that, the home ministry's security service division's secretary has asked all officials concerned to take necessary action in this regard.

"People were sent back due to their involvement with narcotics smuggling," said the secretary.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, who presided over the meeting, said anti-narcotics awareness among those going abroad has to be increased.

Muhammad Abdur Rauf Miah, deputy secretary of the home ministry, issued the written directives regarding the virtual meeting on February 14.

The issues came to the fore after transnational narcotics smuggling syndicates were found using expatriates travelling abroad or coming back home as carriers.

Bangladeshi citizens got arrested in different countries in the last couple of years with yaba inside their luggage, according to law enforcers.

Even in a meeting with Chattogram district police on January 5, 2019, expatriate representatives said drug dealers were tricking "innocent" migrants into carrying the pills.

Meanwhile, a Saudi Arabia-bound passenger was arrested from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) early yesterday while attempting to smuggle nearly 10,000 pieces of yaba pills inside pickle jars.

The arrestee was identified as Rakib Hossain (31) of Ramganj upazila in Lakshmipur.

Rakib was supposed to board a flight of Gulf Airlines around 5:45am for Saudi Arabia, said Alamgir Hossain, additional superintendent (operations) of Airport Armed Police Battalion (APBn).

When he arrived at the departure terminal around 3:30am, a team of APBn challenged him and recovered 9,885 pieces of yaba pills hidden inside two pickle jars, said Alamgir.

In primary interrogation, the arrestee claimed that one Nazmul from a travel agency gave him the jars and he was just a carrier.

A case was filed against Rakib, Nazmul and some unnamed persons under the Narcotics Control Act with Airport Police Station, Alamgir added.

Mosiul Alam, sub-inspector of Airport Police Station, said Rakib was supposed to go to KSA in March last year, but could not due to the epidemic.

Later, he arranged visa and ticket again through a travel agency in Cumilla.

A relative of Nazmul was supposed to pick up the pickle jars from Rakib after he reached Saudi Arabia, said Mosiul, also the case's investigation officer.

"We would take him in remand for questioning," he added.

Investigators claimed that syndicate members often convince expatriates that they want to send gifts to their relatives abroad and then put the drug inside the gift items such as packets of tea, chocolate boxes or pickles.

Kusum Dewan, director (operation) of DNC, told The Daily Star yesterday that they have already proposed to set up modern scanners and form canine squads in all the country's airports to detect narcotics smuggling under supervision of DNC officials.

"Steps have already been taken in this regard. Once implemented, we are hopeful that we would be able to stop the smuggling," Dewan added.