Motorcycle Air Filter Concealed 1,955 Yaba Tablets, Two Arrested

The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has arrested two alleged drug traffickers in Sonargaon, Narayanganj, after recovering 1,955 yaba tablets reportedly concealed inside the air filter box of a motorcycle.

The arrests were made during a raid at the Mogarapar bus stand area of Sonargaon at around 1.10am on Saturday, 1 August. RAB-11 also seized the motorcycle allegedly used to transport the drugs. Following the operation, the two men were shown arrested in a case filed under the relevant provisions of the Narcotics Control Act.

The arrested suspects have been identified as Abul Kalam Azad, 36, son of Babul Mia of Panchora in Burichang upazila of Cumilla, and Sabuj, 29, son of Harun-or-Rashid of Anandapur in Brahmanpara upazila of the same district.

According to RAB, the operation was conducted after the elite force received confidential information that a group of suspected drug dealers had gathered in the Mogarapar bus stand area to sell yaba. Acting on the information, a team of RAB-11 launched an operation in the area.

As the RAB team approached, two men reportedly attempted to flee on a motorcycle. They were intercepted and detained by the law enforcement personnel. A subsequent search of the motorcycle led to the discovery of 1,955 yaba tablets hidden inside its air filter box.

The concealment method appears to have been intended to prevent the drugs from being detected during routine checks. The recovery of the tablets from a concealed compartment also highlights the methods allegedly used by drug trafficking networks to move narcotics while attempting to evade law enforcement surveillance.

Captain Rawnak Erfan Khan, operation officer of RAB-11, said preliminary investigations and interrogation of the arrested individuals indicated that they were active members of an organised drug trafficking network. According to him, the suspects had allegedly been collecting large consignments of yaba from border areas for an extended period before transporting, supplying and selling the drugs in Narayanganj, Dhaka and surrounding districts.

Authorities have long identified yaba trafficking as a significant challenge for law enforcement agencies in Bangladesh, particularly because traffickers frequently attempt to conceal narcotics in vehicles, luggage and other unconventional compartments. Operations targeting such networks therefore often involve intelligence gathering, surveillance and searches based on specific information.

RAB said legal action has been initiated against the two arrested men at Sonargaon Police Station under the Narcotics Control Act. The seized yaba tablets and motorcycle have also been taken into custody as part of the investigation. Further investigation is expected to determine the wider network allegedly connected to the suspects and establish the source and intended destination of the recovered drugs.