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YABA SMUGGLING

Kuakata now a major entry point
SUSHANTA GHOSH and MOHAMMAD JAMIL KHAN, back from Kuakata
Yaba pills are now being smuggled through Kuakata sea routes after law enforcers have increased their vigilance in Teknaf and Cox’s Bazar, primary entry points for the drug from Myanmar into Bangladesh.
The smugglers have convinced a section of fishermen to venture deep into the sea and transport yaba, and share a fraction of the profits based on the sizes of consignments, according to insiders.
There are two buoys (floating objects anchored at a definite location to guide or warn mariners) -- one on the eastern side and another on the western side -- approximately 60 to 80 kilometres offshore from Kuakata sea beach. Fishing trawlers from Bangladesh and Myanmar meet there after fixing the time over phone and exchange the consignments of the illegal drug, typically concealed within bamboo boxes and further enveloped in polythene bags.
Each fishing trawler features a specialised chamber for preserving fish with ice, where the pills are kept to evade law enforcers.
“Sometimes, fishing trawlers set out solely for the purpose of smuggling yaba pills,” said Jahangir Shikder, a trader at Mohipur wholesale fish market.
He said that the situation intensified over the last two years.
Md Yousuf, a hilsha trader in Alipur area, and his associates were arrested recently and are now in Patuakhali jail for carrying yaba pills from deep sea to land, added Jahangir.
On July 23 this year, two drug traders -- Md Younus, 44, and Asma Begum, 33, -- were arrested by the Coast Guard with 10,000 pieces of yaba. On September 22, Coast Guard recovered around 1,000 yaba pills from a trawler in the Bishkhali river near Patharghata, and arrested one trader named Rustom in this connection.
Contacted, Md Jamil Hossain, deputy inspector general of police (Barishal range), said, “We are aware of the smuggling activities and have already increased our drives.”
Wishing anonymity, a fisher said, “Fishermen receive five percent for larger consignments and 10 percent for smaller consignments. The trawlers receive at least Tk 50,000 and a maximum Tk five lakh for the job.”
The commission is determined based on an estimated wholesale price of Tk 80-100 per pill.
Mentionable, there is mobile network coverage up to 35 kilometres from Kuakata beach into the sea, according to the fisheries department. Fishermen, however, claim they can access the network for around 45 to 50 kilometres into the sea.
After the fishermen bring in the consignments to the shore, the smugglers distribute the pills across different districts in the country using various modes of transportation such as trucks, buses, and motorcycles.
In Kuakata’s Mohipur and Lemburchar areas, where tourists gather, these pills are sold at three times the price, with each pill fetching Tk 350-400. However, in local markets like Barishal or Patuakhali, the price of each pill ranges from Tk 150 to Tk 200, according to sources.
Data from the Barishal Range DIG office shows that at least 2.66 lakh pills were seized between November 1 last year to September 24 this year, with 2,310 narcotics cases being filed against 2,829 individuals.
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