Dangerous exchange of foodstuff with drugs must stop

It is not just a story of drug trafficking, but a warning sign for our national security. Smuggling is not a new phenomenon in our coastal belts. Trawlers are moving towards Myanmar’s Rakhine state with our daily commodities including rice, pulses, oil and medicines as part of a barter trade known as ‘Bangla Mal’. And in return, millions of taka of Yaba and crystal meth (ice) are being entered the Bangladesh. This invisible drug empire has been built with the collusion of hundreds of fishermen, Rohingya workers, boat owners, and even some local public representatives.

Unscrupulous gangs in Bangladesh have created this exchange system by capitalizing on the food and medicine shortages caused by the military junta’s blockade in Myanmar’s Rakhine state.

Traffickers are bringing drugs from Myanmar’s rebel groups in exchange for domestic goods.In exchange of goods worth 20 lakh taka, at least 2 crore taka of drugs will return to the country.

This horrific calculation shows that the level of profit is so huge that even if a few shipments are caught, the syndicate will not be affected.

More worryingly, this syndicate, active on the border of the two countries, has now become a regional security crisis. The recruitment of manpower from the Rohinga camps, the shifting of trawlers to the deep sea, and the use of fishing piers to unload drugs have all created a vast network that is not being broken or is not being broken.

It is true that disrupting this network is difficult, but not impossible. This requires technological surveillance at sea, a special security zone on St. Martin-Shahpori Island, and locally involved public representatives. It is also important to strictly control the movement of Rohingya in the camps. At the same time, it is important to raise the Myanmar issue strongly at the international level.

The question is how such a huge transaction possible despite strict surveillance at the border and sea routes? The question comes up uncomfortably. The BGB and Coast Guard are indeed seizing huge quantities of drugs, gold and Bangladeshi goods but the main ringleaders of the big ring are still out of reach.

We believe that ‘Bangla Mal’ is no longer just a ‘code’ name for smuggling; it is a symbol of weakness, negligence and regional insecurity in border management. If we fail to rein in this dark trade, our coast will one day become a complete dark empire of drugs. Its momentum cannot be stopped without taking strong and coordinated measures at every level.