Drug Trade in Bangladesh
http://tib2012.blogspot.com/2012/07/drug-trade-in-bangladesh.html Sunday, July 8, 2012
Crime in Bangladesh is at hand in various forms. Organized crime include drug trafficking,
money laundering, extortion, murder for hire, fraud etc. Other criminal operations engage in
human trafficking, robbery, corruption, black marketeering, political violence, terrorism,
abduction etc.
Bangladesh is a transit country for illegal drugs produced in neighboring countries. According to
the Annual Report for 2007 in print by the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB),
Bangladesh has become the main transit point for trafficking of heroin to Europe from Southeast
Asia. The report noted that the porous borders between Bangladesh and India make a payment
to the cross-border trafficking of narcotics.There are three routes used for trafficking of heroin
into Bangladesh: by courier from Pakistan, by commercial vehicle or train from India, and by sea
(Bay of Bengal) or by road from Myanmar.
An estimated 100,000 people work in the drug trafficking commerce in Bangladesh.
According to police reports, homicide has increased in the country in recent years. Between
2001 and 2003, a total of 10,331 cases of homicide were reported in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh is on top of the list in Software piracy in the Asia Pacific region.Software vendors
lose 102 million US dollars every year.There is no strict law to stop the crime in this country.
In our recent political history corruption became a buzzword in all our public sectors and even in
our private organizations.Bangladesh has been acknowledged as the most corrupt country in
the world for consecutive four years by Transparency International.Corruption means to draw
any profit or benefit that goes touching law and harms others interest.Corruption done by many
ways like bribery,favouritism,extortion,fraudulence and deception etc.Corruption is a social
crime.Capitalistic economic system,unequal distribution of wealth,gap between wealth and
poverty,economic insolvency,high living cost,unemployment are the social and economical
causes of corruption. In a poor and underdeveloped country like Bangladesh the effects of
corruption in country and politics are very devastating.If government officials are corrupt people
do not get good service from them.If politicians and policy-makers are corrupt .It affects
country's overall development.By corruption a group of people earn lots of means and lead
luxurious life.This creates social gap between poor and rich people. Corruption in the
educational systeam lowers down standard of education .All this corruption seriously harms the
image of our nation and also create economic and social crimes. It is also a social problem.Due
to corruption only a group of people gain but a majority of people suffer.It has became a serious
national problem.we must eliminate the problem from the society.
Among the trafficking routes to Bangladesh, the vast forests and terrain areas of hill tracts and
the Bangladeshi, Myanmar and Thai Fishing Trawlers are being safely used for trafficking heroin
into Bangladesh.
It is alleged that heroin produced in North Myanmar, Laos, Thailand and India is by and large
trafficked into foreign countries through Calcutta, Madras and Mumbai routes of India and
through Thailand and Rangoon. But the International drug barons and the Mafia network also
find Bangladesh as a out of harm's way and alternate trafficking routes when the Indian and
Myanmar routes become risky.
Bangladesh, with its longest borders with India on 3 sides and with Myanmar to the northeast
has become very risky and vulnerable for drug trafficking and abuse.
It has been spread over from urban areas to rural areas. The most frequently used drug is
heroin, thereafter, phensidyl (Codeine based cough syrup) illegally transit from India and the
third highest is cannabis. Bangladesh have borders with India on its three sides excluding the
south, which stands on the Bay of Bangal. The three border routes are as follows:
The western routes with India are – Darshana, Zibannagar of Chuadanga, Hili and Birol of
Dinajpur and Moghulhat, Aditmari, Durgapur, Fulbari, Nageshwari of Kurigram and Nawabgonj,
Rajshahi, Meherpur & Debhat and Kaligonj of Khulna and Benapole, Chowgacha of Jessore.
n the otherside of Indian boundaries, there are factories/industries of manufacturing codeine
based narcotics (with ‘Phensidyl’ as trade name) and are being trafficked into Bangladesh,
where BSF and BDR are guarding borders on their respective sides.
Codeine – ‘A’ class narcotic liquid has been trafficked into Bangladesh by bus, truck packed in
different baggages and luggages through the above border areas in the trade name of
phensidyland also drugs are smuggled into by ships, fishing trawlers and by airways. It seems
that Bangladesh has been all the time more used as a ‘transit country’ for heroin shipments
using Dhaka Airport and the seaport of Chittagong as exit-points.
About 100,000 people, including 30,000 women and children, are involved in illegal drug trade
in Bangladesh, the country's Department of Narcotics be in charge of (DNC) said Wednesday.
drug trade
"It is unfortunate for us that we have failed to control the use of narcotics," DNC director general
(DG) Humayun Kabir told reporters Wednesday, on the eve of the globally observed anti-drugs
day on June 26.
Drug addicts spend at least 460 million taka (about 6.57 million U.S. dollars) on narcotics every
day, leading English newspaper The Financial Express reported Thursday quoting the DNC
DG.
Kabir said there was no specific government data on the number of drug addicts or drug use in
the country.
Two weeks ago, an odd incident took place while this reporter was en route to Dhaka from
Cox's Bazaar, riding a renowned luxurious AC bus. The expedition was smooth all the way;
however, it came to a halt when the bus suddenly stopped near the Kanchpur Bridge. It was at
the crack of dawn; the passengers were waking up, all bleary eyed, some wondering what was
going on. They found the bus blocked by a police vehicle. Another police vehicle was blocking
the way behind the bus. A few police officers in civilian clothing carrying pistols got on board.
They claimed to have been tipped off that there was a member of a drug peddling ring travelling
with us, smuggling heroin and 'yaba' to Dhaka. Each and every passenger was searched, along
with their luggages. After pointed for half an hour, the officers found four small packets of
heroin, tucked inside a mobile phone packing box along with the phone, in the luggage carrier of
the bus. While everyone was getting over the shock from what had just been found, two of the
officers got busy estimating the worth of the catch. "I think each of those packs has around 250
grams of heroin," whispered one cop to the other. According to them, the total amount of heroin
was about one kilogram, approaching from Myanmar through Cox's Bazaar. Police search is
almost a usual occurrence on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway, as it is in Nageshwari alongside
Rangpur-Dhaka highway, and on the Jessore-Dhaka highway. But drug traffickers are still
mostly out of reach of the law enforcement agencies. According to a source, more than 400
drug dealers are administration this illegal business at about 374 spots in Dhaka city. A number
of godfathers, including ward commissioners of Dhaka City Corporation (DCC), and one listed
fugitive 'top terror' are in control of the entire business in the capital. Despite law enforcers'
routine and special raids to combat the prohibited drug trading, the situation virtually remains
unchanged as most of the arrested drug dealers resume their businesses after securing bail
from the court. The arrested drug peddlers can easily get out of jail due to the loopholes in
police reports in connection with the cases The Department of Narcotics Control (DNC) sources
said that the amount of drugs seized is only 10 per cent of the total drugs smuggled into the
country. Some 100,000 people are engaged in this illegal trade, and 30 per cent of those
charged with drug industry are women and children. Most of the drugs sold in the drug dens are
heroin, cannabis and phensedyl, as they are most preferred by the drug addicts; yaba, on the
other hand, is a 'fashionable drug'. Sale of these drugs, especially phensedyl, openly takes
place under the very nose of the law enforcing agencies. Drug addicts, mostly youngsters - both
male and female - gather at different drug spots from afternoon till midnight. The traders
normally adopt new ntactics to increase their business.According to some intelligence sources,
the
highest number of illegal drug spots has been identified in Dhaka's Jatrabari, Demra, Shyampur
and Kadamtoli thanas, where 93 drug dens are active. About 87 sellers are dealing at those
spots. "I think it will be very difficult to remove drugs from the city because Bangladesh lies on
one of the most central drug trafficking routes in the world," said an official from DNC. According
to DNC, there are two major drug trafficking routes that are being used to smuggle huge
amounts of illegal substances around the world, with each consignment being significance
thousands of dollars. One of these routes starts from Golden Triangle, ending up in Canada via
Myanmar, Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Middle East, Europe and the US. The
other route starts from Golden Crescent, ending up in Canada via Pakistan, Middle East, Africa,
Europe and the US. Golden Triangle and Golden Crescent are the two major opium-producing
areas in Asia. Golden Triangle covers the mountains of Myanmar, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand;
Golden Crescent overlaps the mountainous territories of Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan. Apart
from this, NDC marked another route that goes from beginning to end Bangladesh, India, Middle
East, Indian Ocean, Europe, the USA and Canada. The vast forests and hilly terrains of
Southeast Bangladesh provide shelter to the drug smugglers. Bangladeshi, Burmese and Thai
fishing trawlers are recurrently used to bring heroin into Bangladesh. As mentioned in various
intelligence reports, heroin produced in North Myanmar, Laos,Thailand and India is generally
trafficked to foreign countries through Kolkata, Chennai(formerly named Madras) and Mumbai of
India, Thailand and Yangon of Myanmar. However,international drug barons and the mafia find
Bangladesh as a safe alternative way when the Indian and Burmese routes become risky. Dr
Imtiaz Ahmed, professor of International Relations at Dhaka University, stated that goods worth
more than US $3.5 billion are smuggled every year. Visiting extensively alongside the
Bangladesh-India border, this reporter found that Indian border authorities help smugglers in
trafficking drugs into Bangladesh; they are even involved in human trafficking. This watching
was also backed up in a top national intelligence source. According to the Border Guards
Bangladesh headquarters, drugs worth more than Tk 4.538 billion including heroin, cocaine,
opium, charas, phensedyl and marijuana was seized earlier this year from the Bangladesh-India
border. Phensedyl, a cough syrup that is banned in Bangladesh and one of the choicest
substances namong the youngsters, is quite easy to supply. nThere are more than hundreds of
mini factories near the Indian wall of the border that produce
phensedyl. It is strictly prohibited in Kuchbihar, Assam, Tripura and Meghalaya; any physician
who prescribes this drug will be punished. Reliable sources from the Indian side of the border
said to this reporter that these drugs originate from India and gain access to Bangladesh
through the porous border, under the patronage of RAW officials.A senior official of the
Directorate of Narcotics admitted that the inflow of drugs from India can hardly be checked.
Despite many attempts, only 5 per cent of the total quantity of smuggled drugs is seized by
Bangladesh border authorities; the drug pushers manage to smuggle the rest using road, rail
and water ways. Bangladesh is a signatory to all the three UN Conventions of 1961, 1971 and
1988 and the SAARC Convention on Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, 1990.
Obligated under these conventions and being in the close proximity of the two major heroinproducing areas, Bangladesh has full various measures to stop, or atleast restrict, imports.
However, there has been very little progress. There are several drug trafficking routes between
India and Bangladesh. The western routes go through Darshana, Jibonnagar ofChuadanga, Hili
and Birol of Dinajpur,Moghulhat, Aditmari, Durgapur, Fulbari, Nageshwari of Kurigram, and
Nawabgonj, Rajshahi, Meherpur and Debhat, Kaligonj of Khulna, and Benapole, and
Chowgachha of Jessore. Eastern routes are through Akhaura, Jhautala, Sadullahpur, Nawgaon,
Singer Beel, Col Bazaar, Gangasagar and Kasba of
Brahmanbaria, Bibirbazar, Chagalnaiya, Maharajganj and Gutuma of Feni, Barkal and
Baghaichari of Rangamati, Chittagong, Teknaff of Cox's Bazaar, and Dighinala, Panchari, and
Matiranga of Khagrachari. Northern routes include Haluaghat
(Telikhali/Karaitali/Surjyapur/Bandarkata/Munsirhat/ Munshipara) of Mymensing and Durgapur
(Bijoypur and Bhabani area) of Netrokona and Bangla Banda, Bhurungabari, Jhenaigati,
Sunamgonj and Tamabil. Investigation by this reporter revealed that there are three important
drug wholesaling spots in Dhaka city: Amin Bazar at Gabtali, Ashulia at Uttara and Chittagong
road near Jatrabari. These three locations are the safe spots for the rewarding drug trading and
dumping house. 'The drugs are carried into the capital through Jessore Road inside coconuts,"
said a drugs carrier from Amin Bazar. The 'goods' are then sold at various points of Mirpur 1,
Gabtali and Amin Bazar, currently single-handedly controlled by the notorious armed group
GangchilBahini."Besides drugs, they also sellarms which are smuggled through the Indian
border," said a tea stall owner from Ashulia. "Most of these drugs and arms are wrapped in
plastic and dumped under water in the lake in Ashulia, or are hidden near the lake premises,"
he shared. "When daylight breaks, the retailers fro mthe city arrive to buy them, which they in
turn sell to their customers in Dhaka,"added the tea stall owner.Interestingly, last year the
expense of DNC to extract illegal substances was Tk 183,199,589 but drugs recovered were
worth much less. It is funny that DNC claimed to have held only 9.5 kg heroin last year, while a
DNC insider told this reporter that the actual quantity was a lot more. DNC is headed by a
director general. It has a sanctioned manpower of 1,283, but the existing manpower totals 868.
A DNC official asserted that it is difficult to run the operation with such inadequate manpower.
However, the intelligence agencies regarded the statement as a funny excuse. All we can do
now is hope that the concerned authorities will get just about to take appropriate and effective
means to put a stop to drug trafficking in this country.
drug trade
Dhaka: Bangladesh has become the prime transit route for trafficking heroin to Europe from
Southeast Asia, according to a report from the International Narcotics Control Board 2007
annual report that was released on Wednesday.
Dhaka: Bangladesh has become the prime transit route for trafficking heroin to Europe from
Southeast Asia, according to a report from the International Narcotics Control Board 2007
annual report that was released on Wednesday.An independent and quasi-judicial monitoring
body which implements UN drug-related conventions, the INCB also blamed a lack of resources
and training of law enforcement agencies for Bangladesh's failure to 'properly implement' its
drug control policy.
Bangladesh police are quoted in the report as saying that the Chittagong seaport is the "main
exit point for drugs leaving the country," while the rest is smuggled out through Sylhet and
Chittagong airports.
The report also cites press reports of couriers trying to smuggle heroin to Europe on their way
fromPakistan through the Zia international airport in Dhaka.
The report observed that the use of Bangladeshi courier services for drug trafficking is on the
rise, with drugs shipped primarily to Canada and South Africa, citing the seizure of 550
kilograms of ephedrine in February 2007.
On July 28, 2010 an article was published in the Telegraph (Kolkata, India) under the heading
'Glare on African drug cartels' written by Pankaj Sharma. The article focused on the increased
participation of African nationals, especially Nigerians, in the regional drug trade. Among other
things, the article quoted one unnamed customs official as saying that these African (Nigerian)
syndicates who traditionally operate from the heroin trafficking routes (the drugs are trafficked
from the Golden crescent in Afghanistan through Pakistan) in the Western border of Pakistan
and India are increasingly using the North Eastern states (in this case the drugs are trafficked
from the Golden triangle of Myanmar) for achieving their business purposes.
So what does this have to do the current or future scenario in Bangladesh? Barely 24 hours
after this article was published in Kolkata, only 252 km away in a city called Dhaka, a Nigerian
national Afolayan Oladipupo Zaccheaus was apprehended in the Shahjalal International Airport
trying to smuggle six kilograms of heroin estimated to be worth 6 crore taka to Malaysia using
Bangladesh as the transit country. Credit for this discovery lies with a customs official named of
Rasheda Parveen. The customs official at Departure gate no. 3 noticed some anomaly in the
colour of the steel handle of the luggage. She immediately suspected that something was
amiss. Had the steel handle been vacant i.e. if there was nothing inside the handle, the
scanners would have displayed a slightly different colour. As it turned out, she was right, the
steel handles did contain something -- 58 small foil packs with white powder inside a total of 10
aluminium packs. Zaccheaus tried to flee the scene but was quickly apprehended by the Armed
Police Battalion. His partner Ratmi Aziz however, managed to escape. examination in the case
is currently ongoing.
This is hardly the first time that foreigners have been caught for drug trafficking in Bangladesh.
As his passport shows, Zaccheaus himself has been to Bangladesh seven times. This year
alone, he has been in Bangladesh four times. "He is very familiar with our country," comments
Shahidul Mannaf Kabir, Superintendent, Department of Narcotics Control, Airport in-charge, the
agency that is handling the exploration. "I asked him in Bangla, 'what is your name' and he
replied promptly. As he was taken to the prison cell, he shook hands with all the other prisoners
and exchanged courteous greetings. I was astounded by the astuteness of this foreigner. He
knows that he is likely to languish here for some time and under such circumstances he needs
to be on good terms with the other local prisoners."
His words were echoed by an officer of an elite law enforcement agency: "He has been in
Bangladesh seven times. What do you think he was here for? Playing football for Rahmatganj?"
quips the officer on condition of anonymity. "Since the 80s, Nigerians are regular visitors to this
country. The High Commission of Bangladesh has been giving them tourist visas on a regular
basis, no questions asked. Bangladesh is not exactly a tourist's paradise, especially not for
citizens of another third world country situated in another part of the world. There are many
international students who come to Bangladesh from those parts of the world and their presence
in our country is mutually beneficial. About the others I have my reservations." while we're on
the subject, Zaccheaus was posing as a stock lot broker of ready-made garments, although he
has always been travelling to Bangladesh on a tourist visa. An identity card found on him dating
back to 2008 reads that he is a member of Rahmatganj Muslim society.
Zaccheaus's passport has revealed that he is a regular traveller and his places of frequent visits
include India, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, UAE, Nepal and the Philippines.
In recent years, Nigerians have been heavily involved in Indian drug trafficking, ranging from
Mumbai on the West coast to the North Eastern states, often known as the seven sisters. UAE,
the last destination of Zaccheaus, has also been suffering from operations of international crime
syndicates.
The world’s major heroin
smuggling route.
In June 2006 the arrest of a footballer Ozor Michael in Nepal revealed the existence of a
flourishing global drug syndicate linked to Afghanistan and Europe. Michael was a footballer in a
top Nigerian club. His passport raised worries among Nepalese narcotics officers as it revealed
that he had travelled on a very suspicious route -- Afghanistan, Dubai and Doha. Like many
Nigerian drug traffickers arrested before and after him, Michael claimed that it was his love for
football that brought him to this country.
In Thailand, Nigerians also have a heavy hand in drug trafficking operating from the capital city
Bangkok. The presence of foreigners in other places is too conspicuous and drugs are brought
from the Burmese border by Thai local smugglers who then sell it to the Nigerian 'mules' who
carry the merchandise by air to their destined places. Bangkok has one of the world's busiest
airports and accordingly this makes smuggling drugs a lot easier. Proximity to the Golden
Triangle of Myanmar has made Thailand a haven for local and international drug syndicates.
Nigerian syndicates also activate in other South Eastern countries in conjunction with local
criminals.
Zaccheaus has himself claimed that in the last few days he has been to Cox's Bazaar and
Comilla. Cox's Bazaar lies near Teknaf, the main border town with Myanmar, which is the
second largest producer of heroin after Afghanistan. Comilla lies in close proximity to the border
with Tripura, the gateway to the seven sisters. As mentioned earlier, Nigerian organised groups
are very active in the North Eastern states of India. So it would have seemed appropriate that
he had good reasons to be in Comilla or Cox's Bazaar for his 'business' purposes.
However, there is one setback in this initial testimony. In Bangladesh, foreigners are a rare
sight, especially in the countryside, and they attract a lot of attention from curious onlookers,
many of whom have never seen an outsider in their life. Consider the fact that this particular
foreigner is a drug trafficker and it would be literally impossible for him to be involved in
underhanded dealings in most places in Bangladesh without attracting the undue attention of
hundreds of locals. “He is definitely not telling us the truth. By stating Comilla and Cox's Bazaar
as the places he last visited, he is only trying to misdirect the investigation and cover up the
point in Dhaka from where he actually receives the supplies,” says Shahidul Mannaf Kabir. “We
shall hopefully get to the bottom of the whole affair once he is placed on remand.” The
magistrate court granted three days remand on August 3.
A law enforcement official specialising in Narcotics expresses similar views. “The Nigerians
cannot operate clandestinely unless they are in the posh areas of Banani and Gulshan where
the sight of foreigners are more common and they can mix among their own people,” he says.
The official requesting anonymity also expressed disappointment concerning the immigration
system of Bangladesh.
“The airport is operated by 18 different agencies. There is little co-ordination between the
different agencies. As far as the Immigration Police is concerned, they can only check the
passports, make sure they are not forged and then authorise the traveller. They cannot open the
baggage, which is done by the Customs officials. The background officials have played little role
in stopping the flow of drugs from the international airports,” says the official. “Most custom
officials are more occupied with other affairs from where they can derive an income.” He,
however, praised the efforts of the official who had detected the white powder but maintained
that such people were a rarity. “The system needs an overhaul. Bangladesh has long been a
transit point for trafficking drugs to other countries and the vast majority of the consignments
pass through the international airports, especially the one in Dhaka.”
The international illegal drug syndicates change their modus operandi almost instantly when
their contraband goods are seized by the law enforcing agencies, he said. They also change
their routes and the system of carriage making it extremely difficult for DNC members to detect
their movements.
Meanwhile another official of the department said that a total of 7,881 kilograms of heroin,
25,961 bottles of contraband Indian Phensidyl syrup, 240 kilograms of cannabis, 49 of cannabis
plants and 1437 ampoules of Pathedine, 14,50,210 poppy foliage and other contraband drugs
were seized between January and May".
Despite attempts to stop smuggling of drugs, such as heroin and Yaba tablets from Burma to
Bangladeshthe armed forces and other law enforcing agencies cannot seem to control the
rampant trade in drugs. It continues unabated, an intellectual said.
In Bangladesh the middle class, including students are into the use of Yaba tablets and other
drugs coming from Burma forcing the Bangladesh government to crack down against drug users
and dealers. The surplus drugs, including Yaba tablets are dispatched to other countries, said
an observer.
The members of law enforcing agencies and the staff members of the DNC are in a position to
nab the dealers and retailers. But the ring leaders of the drug mafia and godfathers remain out
of reach as they are well organized and equipped with sophisticated firearms and
telecommunication gadgets.
The governments of Pakistan and Bangladesh on Monday decided to initiate cooperation in
counterterrorism, counter narcotics and drug trafficking.
The fifth round of Pakistan-Bangladesh bilateral consultations was held here with Pakistani side
led by Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir and Bangladesh handing over by its Foreign Secretary
M Mijarul Quayes.
During the three hour-long discussion, including the lunch hosted by the foreign secretary in
honour of the foreign secretary of Bangladesh, the two sides held a detailed overview of
political, economic and trade, defence, cultural, educational and consular issues.
"The two foreign secretaries agreed to give fresh impetus to the promotion of bilateral relations
and a comprehensive partnership," said the foreign office spokesman, Abdul Basit, in a
statement. They agreed to the holding of next meeting of Joint Economic Commission and
biannual consultations at senior officials' level."
It was also decided to initiate support in counterterrorism, counter-narcotics and drug trafficking
besides facilitating visas and enhancing connectivity by direct shipping and more air links, he
said. Basit said the next round of bilateral consultations would be held in Dhaka in 2011.
drug trade