Bangladesh has turned into an international transit route for cocaine smuggling.
Cocaine shipments from South America are entering Europe and America. Law enforcement agencies have seized 500 kg of cocaine in the last 10 years while smuggling using Bangladesh as a third country. The masterminds behind this are citizens of various African countries in disguise.
This information has been revealed by relevant sources. According to the sources, on July 16, 2024, the Narcotics Control Department seized about 4 kg of cocaine at the Chattogram Shah Amanat International Airport. The Narcotics Control Department recently submitted a report to the court accusing four foreigners in the case filed in this incident. The supervising officer of the case, deputy director of the Narcotics Control Department, Humayon Kabir, said, "Drug mafias are using Bangladesh as a transit route for cocaine smuggling. Cocaine shipments are entering Europe and America through Bangladesh. Citizens of various African countries are behind the smuggling. Cocaine carriers receive thousands of dollars for each shipment, including airfare and hotel fees.’
According to the Department of Narcotics Control, law enforcement agencies seized at least 500 kg of cocaine in Bangladesh from 2014 to 2024. Of this, 130.18 kg was seized in 2024, 13.003 kg in 2023, 4.57 kg in 2022, 1.55 kg in 2021, 3.893 kg in 2020, 1 kg in 2019 and 2.72 kg in 2018. In addition, small and large cocaine shipments were seized in different parts of the country.
The investigation revealed that members of the international drug syndicate initially brought cocaine shipments to Brazil from Nigeria, Tanzania, Colombia, Peru and Bolivia. The cocaine shipments were entered into Brazil by sea and air. Earlier, cocaine was smuggled to Europe and America via various countries in North America and the Caribbean. Due to extensive searches by the law enforcement agencies of the countries concerned on these old routes, the routes were changed. The syndicates are smuggling cocaine from South America to Africa, the Middle East, Bangladesh and India to Europe and America. Cocaine shipments come from Brazil or the Western Isles to the Middle East. Then the cocaine shipments enter Bangladesh through Dhaka or Chittagong airports. Three routes are used to send cocaine shipments from the country to Europe and America. These include the Bangladesh-India-Europe route. Another is the Bangladesh-Middle East-Europe/America route. The other route is directly from Bangladesh to Europe or America. Behind the syndicates, there are are citizens of various countries on the African continent, including Nigeria, Cameroon, and Tanzania. They control the cocaine trade under the guise of footballers, garment traders or various professions. In the last 10 years, all the shipments seized by the law enforcement agencies of Bangladesh were going to other countries via Bangladesh. Most of the carriers were African citizens.
According to the statistics of the regions of the world where cocaine is taken in 2023 published by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), 5.5 million people in North America, 5.7 million in Europe, 5.2 million in Latin America and the Caribbean, and 2.9 million in Asian countries are addicted to cocaine. According to officials of the Department of Narcotics Control, cocaine is almost not used in Bangladesh because of its high price. Therefore, no patients addicted to cocaine come to the country's drug treatment centers.
(Translated by Lutful Hoque)
