New Types of Drugs Spreading Across Bangladesh, Drug Traffickers Increasingly Brazen

Following the widespread circulation of lethal yaba, Bangladesh is now witnessing the spread of new types of narcotics, while drug mafias are consolidating their influence. According to sources at the Department of Narcotics Control (DNC), drug traffickers are increasingly exploiting young students to advance their criminal operations.

One of the newly discovered drugs is MDMA, scientifically known as Methylenedioxymethamphetamine.

Recently, the DNC reported that five individuals, including students from two private universities, were arrested for involvement in the sale of this new drug.

Drug Trafficking Landscape

Criminal analysts note that students are increasingly involved not only in consumption but also in sales. The DNC and intelligence sources have observed that many young people now treat drugs as a central feature of social gatherings. More than a thousand members of these trafficking networks have been identified for verification.

According to a DNC intelligence officer, these networks are part of an international drug trade, aiming to establish a large domestic market in Bangladesh. Drugs such as heroin, crystal meth (ice), and kush have already ensnared segments of youth, and traffickers are increasingly using private university students as intermediaries.

DNC Director General Md. Hasan Maruf stated:

“The recently arrested university students were part of a coordinated drug ring operating under the guise of academic life. They were supplying drugs to DJ parties and upscale areas in Dhaka. Many more students may be involved.”

Recent Seizures

• MDMA shipment from the UK led to the arrest of one trafficker; further investigations resulted in four more arrests. A total of 317 MDMA tablets, cannabis, and ketamine were seized.
• Ketamine seizures: On 7 September, two individuals involved in international trafficking were arrested in Tongi. 6.44 kg of ketamine was found in a parcel disguised inside towels, destined for Italy. The sender, Md. Masudur Rahman Jilani, was arrested in Chandpur’s Motlob North area.
• Cocaine seizure: On 26 August, a Guyana national, M S Karen (Petula Staffly) was arrested at Shahjalal International Airport with over 8 kg of cocaine.
• Yaba seizures: On 25 August, Md. Khairul Islam (alias Rian) was arrested in Adabar, with 4,000 amphetamine-containing yaba tablets. Based on his information, large quantities of kush and 1.6 kg ice imported from Australia were recovered.

New Trafficking Tactics

• Ketamine: Originally used as a dissociative anaesthetic in surgeries, ketamine is increasingly misused as a recreational drug.
• Courier services: International networks frequently use courier services to smuggle narcotics.

Arrests of Student Traffickers

Recently, five individuals were arrested in Dhaka for MDMA distribution, including private university students Syed Shaian Ahmed and Asif Mahbub Chowdhury. Others include Md. Zubayer, G M Prathit Sams, and Apoorv Roy. Initial interrogations revealed that financial incentives motivated their involvement.

• Case Example: Zubayer was instructed to deliver a parcel to Prathit Sams for BDT 50,000, receiving 15–16 thousand in advance. Parcels were sent from the UK under the name of Aranya, using the details of Aranya’s friend Apoorv Roy.

Broader Implications

• Financial and violent conflicts: Disputes over profits have led to murders, including an incident in Kalshi Adarshanagar, Pallabi, where a brother was shot and his sister stabbed. Victims, Lovely Begum and her brother Sumon Mia, were identified as members of the drug network.
• Other killings: Reports from Mohammadpur, Geneva Camp area indicate that at least nine people, including women and children, were killed over drug disputes.

Cross-Border Trafficking

• BGB sources: Daily average of 54,884 yaba tablets smuggled from Myanmar via Cox’s Bazar border.
• Other substances: Ice, heroin, cocaine, cannabis, opium, foreign liquor, and phensedyl are entering the country.
• International mafia usage: Bangladesh is increasingly being used as a transit route for global narcotics.

This surge in new drugs and student involvement underlines the urgent need for law enforcement and public awareness campaigns, highlighting Bangladesh’s vulnerability to both domestic and international narcotics networks.