US citizen arrested over Wari Kush cultivation lab

A US citizen accused of operating a remote-controlled Kush cultivation laboratory in Dhaka’s Wari from California has been arrested by the Department of Narcotics Control (DNC).

DNC intelligence officials arrested Tausif Hasan, 22, from his residence on Rankin Street in Wari around 9am today (1 November). They recovered 10 methamphetamine-based yaba tablets, 100 grammes of cannabis and equipment used to consume the drugs.

A subsequent drug test detected both methamphetamine and cannabinoids in his blood.

Mehedi Hasan, deputy director of the DNC’s Dhaka Intelligence Office, confirmed the arrest. He said a case had been filed against Tausif under the Narcotics Control Act at Wari Police Station for possessing the recovered drugs. 

DNC is also processing his arrest in the earlier Kush laboratory case and plans to seek remand for interrogation.

During preliminary questioning, Tausif admitted to supplying yaba and Kush to various drug dealers in Dhaka, Mehedi said. Investigators are also examining his additional connections to the drug trade, as well as the origins of his drugs and the structure of his supply network.

According to the DNC, the investigation began following an attempt in January to smuggle yaba to the United States through an international courier service. A subsequent raid at Tausif’s Wari residence uncovered a specialised laboratory for cultivating Kush.

The raid yielded Kush seeds brought from California, cultivated plants, freshly harvested Kush, cultivation equipment, shisha-smoking accessories and foreign liquor. Investigators also found several pots containing Kush plants inside a temperature-controlled rooftop room built with tin sheets and foil paper.

Investigators found that Tausif had learned Kush cultivation techniques while living in California before returning to Bangladesh and setting up the laboratory at his home. He remotely controlled its temperature and monitored operations while abroad, with assistance from a female friend.

Using a false identity, the woman allegedly attempted to send 32 yaba tablets to the United States through an international courier service. The DNC seized the consignment and arrested her and Tausif’s house caretaker. A case was filed with Tongi West Police Station, naming Tausif as a fugitive accused.

The DNC said it had been trying to identify and arrest Tausif, the main accused, for a long time.

According to DNC sources, Tausif grew up with his grandparents in Wari after his father died and his mother remarried and moved elsewhere. He completed his O-levels at an English-medium institution before moving to the United States, where he obtained citizenship and settled permanently. He visited Bangladesh several times a year.