Badruddoza, named as the mastermind behind the drug trafficking in confessional statements of two other accused, was produced before Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court, Dhaka amid tight security at 4:00pm. The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of police petitioned for him to be remanded for 10 days.

In a helmet and a bulletproof vest, he looked appalled during his appearance at the court.

Police arrested the BD Foods boss on Sunday afternoon after Nazmul Haider Bhuiyan Bulbul, a former official of the company, and Mokhlesur Rahman Nayon, a cargo handler, had confessed to a magistrate that they had carried out the smuggling on orders from the top authorities of BD Foods.

Sources said the CID-led five-member team probing the smuggling grilled him briefly at the CID office yesterday, but could not elicit any significant information from him.

CID Inspector Nurul Islam, the investigation officer (IO) of the case, also told the court that Nazmul, Mokhlesur, and some others had trafficked 75.5kg heroin to the UK last year in two consignments of foodstuffs, handicrafts and floor tiles.

Some portion of the heroin was smuggled under cover of two fake companies --M/S Emdad Trading and Jamil International Trading Agency.

The IO also told the court that Badruddoza had used Nazmul, Mokhlesur, Mohammad Mainuddin, detained manager of BD Foods, and some others to organise an international drug ring. And all this has tarnished the country's image abroad.

He needs to be remanded for vital clues to the drug running and whereabouts of his other cohorts involved in the widely publicised crime.

The defence lawyers submitted a petition for cancellation of the remand prayer, saying that their client had secured a High Court order in that he is not harassed or arrested within two months.

In response to a writ petition, the High Court on April 9 ordered the law enforcement agencies not to arrest or harass him without any regular case.

Besides, the defence argued that their client's name was not included in the First Information Report. So, he should not have been arrested or be taken on remand.

The prosecution said as his name came up in confessional statements of the two accused, there should be no bar to placing him on a remand.

BD Foods official Mohammad Mainuddin was taken on a three-day fresh yesterday on completion of earlier eight-day remand.

Meantime, Abul Bashar, proprietor of Green Heaven Enterprise, and his associate Delwar Hossain were placed on a five-day fresh remand in connection with the smuggling of 54kg heroin to the UK. The CID filed the case with Sutrapur Police Station recently.

TWO DETECTED IN UK
Sources in the CID said two UK citizens of Bangladesh origin--Taijuddin Ahmed Mintu and Abul Kalam--worked for the international drug cartel in the UK.

Recently, the home ministry has requested the UK government for details about the two who now are on the run from the British police.