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.
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 phensidyl and 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.
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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 heroin-producing 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.
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 heroin-producing 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.
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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 from Pakistan 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.
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 from Pakistan 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.
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The world’s major heroin smuggling route.
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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.
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.
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.
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