DNC scrutinising financial transaction of drug peddlers

Department of Narcotic Control (DNC) has initiated a move to look into financial transactions of some of the listed drug peddlers to know their presumed involvement in money laundering.

“We are scrutinizing financial transactions of some of the listed drug peddlers as to mainly confirm whether they are involved in money laundering or not,” DNC additional director (intelligence) Md Nazrul Islam Sikder told BSS on Sunday.

Asked about the updated list of drug peddlers, he said they are still updating the list of drug dealers, adding, “We have got updated list of the drug peddlers from one-third districts across the country.”

But, he declined to divulge more in this regard and said they have earlier prepared a list of 900 drug peddlers.

However, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) is conducting an inquiry into asset details of over 200 listed drug peddlers. But, the drug peddlers have yet been served with a notice seeking asset details.

“We are conducting an inquiry into assets of some listed drug peddlers,” ACC Deputy Director (public relations) Pranab Kumar Bhattacharjee told BSS today.

ACC earlier launched inquiries into assets against over 200 drug traders in line with the lists sent to the commission by DNC.

Directors of different wings of the national anti-graft agency have been entrusted with coordinating the activities of the inquiries, Pranab said.

The DNC, in the first phase, sent a list of 465 alleged drug traders in January last year to initiate inquiries into their assets and in the second phase, it forwarded a list of 141 suspected drug dealers to the Commission in January this year.

The DNC has sent the second list of 141 drug dealers to the Commission upon an allegation that the temporary addresses of drug dealers mentioned in the list were not found as they used to change their addresses to avoid arrest, officials said. The second list has been prepared with the permanent addresses of the drug dealers.

Replying to a query about the DNC’s move in capturing the listed drug traders, DNC additional director (intelligence) Md Nazrul Islam Sikder earlier said: “We have already widened our intelligence surveillance across the country to collect advance information about their movements. We are also conducting drives based on the information.”

“We are currently working as per the directives of the home ministry and the core committee to prevent the drug trading,” he said.

The government has earlier formed a core committee involving representatives from all the intelligence agencies, police, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), Ansar, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), Coast Guard and the DNC to monitor the overall activities of different law enforcement agencies against the abuse of drugs.

Director General (DG) of DNC Mohammod Jamal Uddin Ahmed is the convener of the core committee.