14 lakh yaba pills seized off Teknaf coast, 2 held

Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has seized 14 lakh yaba pills worth an estimated Tk42 crore and arrested two suspected smugglers in Teknaf, Cox’s Bazar.

The suspects allegedly disguised themselves as fishermen and transported the drugs on a boat during the day, while keeping the yaba-filled bags tied to the boat with ropes and floating in the water.

The operation was conducted this afternoon (9 September), Lieutenant Colonel Md Zahirul Islam, commanding officer of Ukhiya Battalion (64 BGB), told reporters.

The arrested are Joygor Das, 40, son of Gopal Das of Jalirapara in Hnila Union, and Md Hossain, son of Md Shafi of Phuler Dail.

The seized yaba and the two detainees are being handed over to Teknaf Police Station, BGB sources said.

The sources said that acting on intelligence that a large consignment of yaba would be brought into Bangladesh from Myanmar, BGB had intensified surveillance and patrols along the Hnila border over the past two weeks.

As part of the operation, a special team from Hnila Border Outpost took up a position near the Switch Gate area.

When BGB members noticed a suspiciously moving boat, they signalled it to stop. The two people on board allegedly tried to flee but were detained.

An initial search of the boat found no drugs. Suspecting that the consignment had been hidden elsewhere, BGB personnel conducted a more thorough search.

They then found several bags floating in the water and tied to the boat with ropes.

A search of the bags uncovered 14 lakh yaba pills packed in khaki-coloured packets inside 140 cartons, according to BGB.

The smugglers allegedly chose to operate during the day while posing as fishermen because transporting the drugs at night could increase the risk of detection.

They also kept the yaba outside the boat and floating in the water so that the consignment would remain hidden even if the boat itself was searched, BGB said.

However, technology-based surveillance and close monitoring foiled the attempt.

“The smugglers tried to bring the consignment by boat during the day while disguising themselves as fishermen. They kept the yaba floating in the water,” Lieutenant Colonel Zahirul Islam said.

He said BGB’s anti-drug operations would continue to prevent the infiltration of narcotics and protect the country’s borders.

BGB’s 64 Battalion has arrested 243 people and seized a total of 1.43 crore yaba pills since January this year, according to the force.