Chattogram: Members of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested nine drug peddlers and seized 500,000 pieces of Yaba tablets worth Taka 15 crore from the engine room of a fishing trawler at Ghat No. 15 in Patenga Police Station in the city last night. Assistant Director (Media) of RAB-7 A R M Mozaffar Hossain confirmed the incident on Saturday afternoon.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the arrest followed a tip-off about a large quantity of contraband Yaba tablets being ferried to Chattogram city from the border area of Cox's Bazar district. Acting on the information, a RAB operational team positioned themselves in the Ghat No. 15 area of Patenga around 10 pm on Friday.
When a suspicious trawler arrived at the pier, RAB members surrounded it, prompting some individuals on the trawler to attempt to flee upon sensing the presence of the elite force. However, RAB conducted an immediate operation resulting in the arrest of nine individuals. The detainees include Syed Alam, Sultan Ahmed, Md. Yusuf, Md. Qasim, Md. Ismail, Shah Alam, Azam Ullah, Md. Faruk, and Chanaullah.
RAB officials noted that some of the arrested are Rohingya citizens. Muzaffar Hossain of RAB stated that a search of the trawler revealed the Yaba tablets, concealed in three plastic bags on the left side of the engine room. The drugs were wrapped in polythene and sealed with scotch tape.
The estimated market value of the seized drugs is approximately Taka 15 crore. Initial interrogations revealed that the detainees were part of an organized gang that had been operating for a long time in the area. They procured Yaba tablets from Cox's Bazar border area at low prices and distributed them to different parts of the country, including Chattogram city, using fishing trawlers via the sea, according to the confessional statements of the arrested persons.
Preparations are underway to file a case against the detainees under the relevant law, and the recovered narcotics have been seized. Additionally, RAB stated that the operation is ongoing to identify and arrest others involved in this gang.