Coast Guard arrests 5 drug traffickers with yaba, wooden boats in St. Martins

In a special operation conducted by Bangladesh Coast Guard Station St. Martins this afternoon, five drug smugglers were arrested along with 30,000 pieces of yaba and a wooden boat used for smuggling.

Lt. Commander Amirul Haque, a media officer at the Bangladesh Coast Guard headquarters, made the announcement on Monday evening. Lt. Commander Amirul Haque said it was learned on the basis of secret information that yaba would be smuggled from Myanmar to Bangladesh through the mouth of the Naf River adjacent to Shahpari Island. Based on the information received, the operation was carried out under the leadership of Station Commander St. Martin Lt. M. Arifuzzaman Rony, (X), BN, 4 nautical miles northeast of St. Martin's Light House under Teknaf Police Station.

During the operation, at about 1350 hours, 1 wooden boat was seen coming from the Myanmar border to the Bangladesh border and after coming to the Bangladesh border, a signal was given to stop the wooden boat suspiciously. When the Coast Guard's speedboat saw it and tried to flee at high speed, the Coast Guard members chased and seized the wooden boat. The boat was later searched and three drug dealers, including 30,000 pieces of yaba, wrapped in 3 plastic polythene packets, were arrested. The estimated market value of the seized yaba is Tk 90 lakh.

The detainees are Nurul Amin (50), Abdul Quddus (40), Karim Mollah (25). Omar Farooq (22) is a resident of Shahpari Island area of Teknaf in Cox's Bazar district and 5 of them. Sanam Ullah (30) is the son of Amin of Dangarpara area of Teknaf in Cox's Bazar district. The arrested yaba smugglers, seized yaba tablets and wooden boats have been handed over to Teknaf Model Police Station for further legal action. He further said that the Coast Guard has adopted zero-tolerance policy in maintaining law and order in the areas under its jurisdiction, public safety as well as prevention of piracy, robbery and drug control, regular operations are continuing and will continue in the future.