40,000 Yaba Tablets Seized

Police in Chattogram Metropolitan have arrested a bus passenger along with 40,000 pieces of yaba tablets during a special operation conducted in the early hours of Thursday.

The accused, Md Sajjad Hossain (36), was detained by officers of Bakalia Police Station from the Shahid Basharuzzaman roundabout area in the city at around dawn on 9 April. Law enforcement officials said the seizure was made after a suspicious inspection of a long-distance passenger coach travelling through the area.

According to police, the suspect was travelling on a Green Line Paribahan air-conditioned bus operating on the Cox’s Bazar–Dhaka route. The vehicle was stopped at a routine checkpoint under Bakalia Police Station jurisdiction. During a preliminary search, officers reportedly noticed unusual behaviour from one of the passengers, which prompted a more detailed inspection of his belongings.

Upon searching his luggage, police recovered 40,000 yaba tablets, which had allegedly been concealed in a highly discreet manner within the bag to evade detection. The contraband was immediately seized, and the individual was taken into custody.

The arrested person has been identified as the son of Babul Hawladar from the Mostafa Road area under Kotwali Police Station in Barishal Sadar. Police confirmed that legal proceedings have been initiated against him under the Narcotics Control Act, and further investigation is underway to determine whether he is linked to a broader drug trafficking network.

Bakalia Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md Mohammad Solaiman stated that the bus was intercepted as part of ongoing efforts to curb the movement of illegal narcotics through the city’s transport routes. He added that intensified surveillance and regular searches are being conducted on inter-district buses, particularly those operating along routes frequently associated with drug smuggling.

Authorities believe that large quantities of yaba tablets are often transported from border-adjacent regions, particularly Cox’s Bazar, and moved towards major urban centres such as Dhaka via public transport networks, making enforcement at transit points crucial.

Arrest Summary

Police said the investigation will continue to identify the source of the narcotics and any possible accomplices involved in the trafficking operation.