Back into darkness

Abdul Hoque was among the several hundred drug traders from Brahmanbaria who had surrendered to police during an anti-narcotics crackdown in 2017.

But within a year after his oath of returning to normal life, the 38-year-old was back to drug trafficking again like many of his accomplices due to poor monitoring and absence of any effective awareness and rehabilitation programmes.

Acting as a buyer, this correspondent met Hoque on December 12 and wanted to buy two bottles of beer. At the time he had yaba and Phensedyl in his stock, but said he could also arrange beer. 

Once a day labourer, Hoque got involved in narcotics smuggling in 2013. Within a few years, he was already facing 14 narcotics cases filed with Brahmanbaria police, according to law enforcers.

On January 11 this year, Rapid Action Battalion arrested Hoque from Bijoynagar area with 95 bottles of Phensedyl and booked him over the recovery.

Hoque had surrendered to police with seven other associates in July 2017 after the government launched a "war" on drugs following a proliferation of illegal substances, mostly of cheap methamphetamine pills known as "yaba".

The home ministry prepared a list of 1,151 yaba traders, and top officials at that time said the government will try to ensure a better life for those who surrendered. If needed, they will be rehabilitated. Besides, police will seek lesser punishment for them.

Around 330 drug traders of the district surrendered to police in different phases at that time.

Like Hoque, two siblings – Jewel Miah, 35, and Sohel Miah, 31— surrendered to police and promised to leave the illegal narcotics business.

On December 14, this correspondent posing as a buyer called Jewel and ordered some Phensedyl bottles. He said he could arrange them but each bottle would cost Tk 2,400.

But when this correspondent contacted the three drug traffickers disclosing his identity and wanted to know what prompted them to return to narcotics trade again, they hung up the phone and subsequently blocked the number.

Several narcotics cases have been filed against Hoque, Jewel and his brother in the last two years, said police.

Somrat Atik, a resident of the same area and an accused in five narcotics cases, said it was difficult to leave the narcotics business.

"My house is located in Bijoynagar of the district, which is a narcotics-prone area. I got involved in smuggling through local acquaintances," Atik told this newspaper on January 4.

"But now, I want to leave the illegal trade and plan to go and settle in my in-law's home in Cumilla so that I do not get involved in it again," added Atik.

Records show around 63 narcotics cases were filed between January and November last year with Bijoynagar police station. Brahmanbaria recorded around 330 narcotics cases against 605 people during that period.

Locals and social activists said drug peddling has increased in the bordering district and many who previously surrendered returned to narcotics business and are making a fortune.

Abu Sayeed, president of Shushashoner Jonno Nagorik (Shujan) of Brahmanbaria, said the initiative did not work in the absence of proper monitoring by law enforcers.

"The authorities also failed to engage these people in any legal profession after they surrendered," said Sayeed.

Law enforcers recovered 35,269 pieces of yaba in 2017. It rose to 58,672 pieces in 2018 and 61,553 pieces in 2019. Although Covid-19 limited the activities for the last two years, 44,575 pieces of yaba were recovered in 2020, police data shows.

Md Mizanur Rahman, assistant director of the department of narcotics control in Brahmanbaria, told The Daily Star that there were around 520 listed small and big narcotics traders in the district.

"We face difficulties conducting drives as we do not get accurate information about the narcotics traders. But we are working and drives are underway."

He said that they have a list of around a dozen people who allegedly became owners of huge sums of money through narcotics smuggling in Bijoynagar.

"These people were once arrested and some of them also surrendered but again returned to the trade," said Mizanur.

Anisur Rahman, SP of Brahmanbaria, told The Daily Star on January 6 that the surrender programme was an initiative by public representatives to bring narcotics smugglers into normal life.

"We will now collect the list of those who had surrendered but again returned to the dark world. Legal action will be taken against them," he said.

Yaba was made a class-A banned substance in the country in 2018 with parliament passing a law having a provision for death penalty for illegal drug trading.