Arakan Army involved in yaba trade, says BGB
PARBATTANEWS DESK
The Arakan Army has become involved in yaba trafficking across the Bangladesh–Myanmar border, a senior Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) official said on Monday.
Ramu Sector Commander Colonel Mohiduddin Ahmed told a press conference in Cox’s Bazar that Rohingyas were playing a central role in the drug trade.
He said traffickers were increasingly using sea routes. “Rohingyas are the main yaba traffickers. They move the drugs very fast, which makes it difficult to catch them,” he said.
Col Ahmed added that some Bangladeshi nationals were helping to bring yaba from Myanmar into Bangladesh. He said this posed a threat to the country.
According to a written statement, nearly 80 percent of drugs now enter Bangladesh through the coasts of Maheshkhali, Banshkhali, Kutubdia, Anwara and Kuakata. The BGB said drugs from these routes were spreading inside Bangladesh and also being smuggled onward to other countries.
Photographs of radar images showing Bangladeshi trawlers crossing into Myanmar waters under cover of darkness were displayed at the briefing. Col Ahmed said the BGB, Navy and Coast Guard were working together to stop smuggling.
He said the Naikhongchhari border had also become vulnerable due to difficult terrain and poor communication systems.
On the detention of fishermen, Col Ahmed said they were held only when crossing into Myanmar waters. He said there had been no incident of the Arakan Army entering Bangladesh to detain fishermen.
Since July 15, the BGB has seized about 2.8 million yaba pills and 22 firearms, including rifles, in border areas of Cox’s Bazar and Bandarban.
Senior BGB officers from Teknaf, Cox’s Bazar, Ukhiya and Naikhongchhari attended the briefing.
