Authorities must stop smuggling ‘Ice’ into the country
Like Yaba, another dangerous drug Crystal Methamphetamine, also known as Ice or Crystal Meth, which is more harmful than Yaba, has spread across the country. The recent recovery of 24 kilogram of Ice worth Tk 120 crore in Cox’s Bazar raises serious concerns. According to the forensic lab of the Department of Narcotics Control, Yaba consists of only 10 to 15 per cent of methamphetamine while Ice comprises 96 per cent of that. Sources said, a gram of Ice is sold between Tk 10,000 and Tk 12,000 in Dhaka.
A newspaper on Sunday reported that the recent major haul of Ice in Cox’s Bazar district near the Myanmar border has indicated that the demand for the drug is increasing rapidly in the country. This drug is being brought to the country from Myanmar across the Naf River. Reportedly, smuggling of Ice is rampant along the border of Teknaf in Cox’s Bazar. After the independence, the use of phensedyl had increased in Bangladesh. Then many new phensedyl factories had sprung up in border areas of India. When the use of phensedyl inside Bangladesh declined, those factories shut down.
Since over 700,000 Rohingyas crossed into Bangladesh after being driven out from Rakhine of Myanmar in 2017, smuggling of narcotics has increased. The government’s so-called gunfights and all-out drives couldn’t improve the situation. Allegedly, those who are entrusted with the responsibility of defending the border (Coast Guard or BGB) must have some shortcomings in performing their duties; otherwise narcotics worth millions of taka couldn’t have entered the country. Once the narcotics cross the border, it reaches the consumers one way or another. Experts say Ice is a severely harmful drug. For youths who become addicted to this drug, it doesn’t only ruin their lives but threatens to destroy their whole family. It creates criminal tendencies among adolescents and youths in society.
Meanwhile, the UNODC (United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime) has said that of all the narcotics that enter the market only 10 per cent is recovered. If that’s the case we have to assume that the amount of narcotics consumed is nine times higher than what is recovered. Thus, the authorities’ first and foremost duty should be to ensure complete security along the border. Only isolated raids won’t be effective, there must be constant surveillance.
We have seen many anti-narcotic drives, conducted just for show. Let there be a sustainable and round-the-clock drive. There’s no alternative to protect the country from the terrible clutches of drugs.
