Police seized almost double the amount of methamphetamine contraband yaba within the span of just one year.
In 2017, nearly 2.9 million pieces of the drug were seized from the capital and doubled in 2018 with nearly 6.2 million pieces.
According to top Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) officials, the spike in number was due to the more number of raids on the part of law enforcing agencies.
“All the law enforcing agencies were more vigilant about narcotics last year,” said DMP Deputy Commissioner (Crime) Muntasirul Islam told Bangla Tribune.
“As a result, more drugs were seized in 2018 than in 2017,” he added.
A DMP statistics showed that in 2018, around 25, 800 people were arrested and 15,269 cases were filed under the Narcotics Control Act. Among them, charge sheets were produced in court for 14,531 of them and the rest of the 738 is under probe.
Similar to yaba, in 2018 the amount of marijuana, heroin and yaba, foreign liquor, locally brewed alcohol and beer seized was also more.
DMP seized 2,876 kilograms of marijuana in 2017 which stood at 4,728 kilos in 2018.
In May of 2018, elite police unit Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) led a countrywide crackdown on drugs and Bangladesh Police followed suit within a month.
As per the directives of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the law enforcing agencies led stronger drug raids that lasted for almost a year.
Top officials claim that with the drug raids, along with the large amounts of drugs seized, many drug smugglers were arrested as well.
However, the ringleaders are nowhere near being caught, they said.
Meanwhile, DMP Additional Commissioner (crime) Sheikh Nazmul Alam said that at the end of the Police week-2019, the anti-drug drives will be pursued with more gusto.
“Last year’s crackdown turned over more drugs than ever and the raids are still continuing,” he said.
He added that listed drug smugglers will be brought to justice in addition to strengthening the raids.