12 drug kingpins amass Tk 178.44cr
Former MP Bodi’s brothers among them, says CID
The Criminal Investigation Department discovered assets worth Tk 178.44 crore belonging to twelve "drug kingpins," including two brothers of a former Awami League lawmaker Abdur Rahman Bodi.
CID's investigation into 35 money laundering cases filed between 2017 and 2023 revealed the involvement of these individuals, primarily based in Cox's Bazar, said CID Chief Mohammad Ali Mia in a press conference at its headquarters yesterday.
"His [Bodi] brothers -- Aminur Rahman and Abdur Shukkur -- smuggled drugs in various ways from Myanmar," the CID Chief said.
Bodi himself was previously named as the "kingpin" of yaba trafficking by the Department of Narcotics Control. "If we find evidence against him [Bodi], he wouldn't be spared," he said.
So far, 122 people have been arrested in 35 cases. Among them, there are at least 10 godfathers, the CID official added.
The CID has confiscated 9.14 acres of land and two houses worth Tk 8.11 crore from the suspects in three cases. Additionally, Tk 1.01 crore, kept in various bank accounts, has been seized.
Confiscation proceedings are underway for another 35.173 acres of land, 12 houses, and one car -- valued at Tk 36.82 crore all together.
The CID chief also cited a Police Headquarters data that 79,675 drug cases were filed across the country in 2021, followed by 82,672 in 2022 and 76,403 in 2023.
Assets of drug kingpins
A Teknaf based drug kingpin Nurul Haq Bhutto was killed at the hands of rivals in May 2022, following the death of his brother Nur Mohammad in a "gunfight" with police earlier that year.
A money laundering case filed against Bhutto, Nur Mohammad, and their father Ejahar Mia in 2017 uncovered a network of 42 associates involved in laundering approximately Tk 3 crore. The CID seized assets including 2.05 acres of land and a Tk 2.5 crore house.
Shafiq Alam alias Shafi, another kingpin, faced two money laundering cases in 2021 and 2023. His illicit gains amounted to Tk 44.14 crore, with assets comprising 730 acres of land and three houses worth Tk 1.10 crore.
On March 14, 2023, the CID filed a case against one Shaheen Alam, for laundering Tk 6.20 crore. The CID sought to confiscate his house and 192 acres of land.
Yaba dealer Nurul Kabir faced allegations of laundering Tk 11.05 crore in a case in Teknaf on March 20, 202 His assets -- including a brick kiln, a duplex house, a poultry farm, a salt farming business, and 15 acres of land, are currently in the process of confiscation.
Furthermore, on March 22, 2023, the CID filed a case against drug kingpin Nurul Islam with Adabar Police Station in Dhaka, for laundering approximately Tk 13 crore. His possessions, including four houses, 0.88 acres of land, a car, and gold ornaments, were targeted for confiscation.