14 lakh yaba pills seized

Law enforcers, in separate drives, seized 14.40 lakh yaba pills worth about Tk 71 crore and arrested four from Cox's Bazar and Comilla in connection with the seizures.

Bangladesh Coast Guard has seized 14 lakh yaba tablets from the Bay of Bengal in Cox's Bazar's Teknaf upazila on Monday evening, according to a press release issued by the force yesterday. 

“Acting on a tip-off, a team of coast guards were patrolling the sea on Monday, and signaled a boat to stop at around 6:30pm,” reads the release.

The boatmen, defying the signal, escaped towards the Myanmar border on their boat after disposing of 10 sacks wrapped in plastic into the sea. Later, the coast guard members seized the sacks and found them to have contained 14 lakh yaba tablets. The seized tablets were handed over to Teknaf Police Station.

Meanwhile, in separate drive, Comilla police yesterday arrested four including a bus driver, supervisor and helper of a bus on Dhaka-Chittagong highway, reports our correspondent in Comilla.

The arrestees are bus driver Nasir Uddin, 43, supervisor Alauddin Mia, 38, and helper Babu, 19, and one Md Hossain, 22.

Acting on a tip-off, Comilla Mainamati Highway police conducted a drive in a Cox's Bazar to Dhaka bound bus of CDM Travels and recovered two bags containing 40,000 yaba pills and 100 bottles of Phensedyle under the driver's seat, said Mahbubur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Mainamati Highway Police.

The cost of the recovered yaba pills is worth Tk 1 crore, he added.

Police then arrested the bus driver Nasir, helper Babu and supervisor Alauddin.

During interrogation, the three admitted their involvement and gave away clues about who the owner of this yaba consignment might be, the OC said adding that based on the information, a team of police conducted a drive in the capital's Fakirapool area, where Hossain was waiting to receive the consignment.

During interrogation, Hossain claimed to be a private company staff member but was not able to show any valid proof, said police.

“We are investigating the incident to trace other suspects,” added Mahbub.

A case has been filed against the four with Burichang Police Station under the anti narcotics law.

The seizure of yaba pills by law enforcement agencies has dominated headlines in recent times. What is more concerning is that the individuals found involved in the illicit trade include a lawyer, a jailer, a cricketer, police, a doctor and narcotics officials, and many students, among others.

On April 22, a 23-year-old female cricketer, also a drop-out of Jagannath University, was held with 14,000 yaba pills from Shah Amanat Bridge in Chittagong.

The very next day, Chandina Police arrested a DB official from Rangamati with 4,000 yaba pills from Katherpul area of Dhaka- Chittagong highway in Chandina, Comilla.

On April 27, two siblings, including one who used to work in Saudi Arabia, were arrested with 13 lakh yaba pills from their flat in the port city's Halishahar area. It is considered to be the biggest ever haul of yaba pills seized by the Chittagong Metropolitan Police.

On the same day, in Dhaka, two recent graduates were held with 60,000 yaba pills. They admitted their involvement in the illicit trade.

On May 4, a deputy jailer of Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj was suspended for trying to sell yaba tablets and on May 5, a physician was arrested on Dhaka-Chittagong highway for possession of yaba.