Four Held With Nearly 4,000 Yaba Tablets in Khulna

Four alleged drug traffickers have been arrested with nearly 4,000 yaba tablets during an operation by Rapid Action Battalion-6 in Khulna city.

The arrests were made on Friday morning, 7 August, in the Miapara area under Khulna Sadar Police Station. Rapid Action Battalion-6 said the operation was conducted following a tip-off about a suspected consignment of yaba being handled in the area.

The detainees have been identified as Nasir Uddin Sentu, 37, and his wife, Safia Begum, 32, from Putikhali village in Morelganj upazila of Bagerhat; Mariam, 20, from the Balukhali area of Ukhiya upazila in Cox’s Bazar; and Ayesha.

According to Rapid Action Battalion officials, its personnel carried out a targeted operation in Miapara after receiving confidential information about the suspected drug activity. During the operation, four people were taken into custody. The security personnel subsequently searched the detainees and recovered approximately 4,000 yaba tablets allegedly in their possession.

The recovery is significant because yaba remains one of the illicit drugs frequently targeted by law-enforcement agencies in Bangladesh. The tablets, commonly containing methamphetamine, have been associated with illegal trafficking networks operating across different parts of the country. Cox’s Bazar and areas along the country’s southeastern border have historically been regarded as major routes in the movement of yaba into Bangladesh, while the drug is subsequently distributed to different districts and urban centres.

The latest arrests also indicate the continuing efforts of law-enforcement agencies to disrupt local distribution networks. Khulna, as an important commercial and transport hub in the south-western region, has periodically featured in investigations into the movement and distribution of illegal narcotics.

The details of the seized tablets, including their precise market value and the intended destination of the consignment, were not immediately disclosed by the authorities.

Rapid Action Battalion-6’s media cell confirmed the arrests and recovery on Saturday, 8 August.

The four detainees are expected to face legal proceedings under the country’s narcotics control legislation. Rapid Action Battalion said a case would be filed with Khulna Sadar Police Station under the relevant provisions of the Narcotics Control Act, after which the arrested individuals, along with the seized yaba tablets, would be handed over to the police for further legal action.

The police investigation is expected to examine the source of the tablets, their intended recipients and whether the detainees were connected to a wider trafficking network. Further details may emerge as the case proceeds.