Despite the nationwide crackdown on narcotics, drug peddlers have managed to thrive.

In addition to that, a growing number of transport workers such as drivers and their helpers are becoming involved with the trade lured by the money it brings.

According to law enforcement agencies, transport sector workers have become the main aid in transporting these illegal drugs from the border areas to various parts of the country using commercial product-laden trucks or buses.

While the law enforcement agencies manage to catch the drivers and helpers, the actual traffickers have managed to remain out of the clutches of law.

Rapid Action Battalion sources said that over 100 driver and helper syndicates help were involved in peddling illegal drugs like Yaba, Phensedyl all over the country.

RAB-1 Commanding Officer (CO) Lieutenant Colonel Md Sarwar Bin Kashem told Bangla Tribune that based on the information obtained from many drivers and helpers arrested, RAB had come to know that these drivers and helpers did the intermediary supply work in exchange for lucrative amounts of money while the actual traffickers controlled the drug peddling operations.

As per RAB sources, a total of 61 drivers and helpers have been arrested in the past one and a half years in drug raids and 35 different transport vehicles used by them were seized.

On the night of Jul 17 this year, RAB-1 conducted a drive conducted on the Dhaka‑Mymensingh highway and seized a fruit-laden truck. As many as 718 bottles of Phensedyl hidden among the fruit were seized from the truck. The RAB team later arrested eight members of drug trafficking racket including truck driver Raju and Uber driver Yusuf.

The suspects later confessed to the RAB that they had used fruit-laden vehicles and private cars to peddle many such consignments from Dinajpur to Dhaka.

The truck driver worked for a local drug trafficker in Dinajpur while the Uber driver distributed the supply to various addresses in Dhaka, said RAB-1 sources.

The RAB sources also said that the drivers and helpers detained during raids belonged to separate syndicates and brought in consignments from many parts of the country, specially the border areas, as per the demand.