Another barrel's contents sent for retest

A Chittagong court yesterday directed sending contents of one of the 107 barrels seized in Chittagong port in June to the Department of Narcotics Control (DNC) to see if it too contains liquid cocaine.

Initially, the Directorate General of Drug Administration, and the Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research confirmed the presence in a barrel, numbered 96.

Later, labs of Criminal Investigation Department and the DNC reconfirmed while the latter suspected that another barrel, numbered 59, contained the contraband drug.

Accordingly, the case's investigation officer yesterday produced a sample from barrel 59 before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Nurul Alam Mohammad Nipu.

The barrels, with labels claiming the contents to be sunflower oil, arrived at the port on May 8 in a container shipped from Uruguay's Montevideo on being brought from Bolivia on a truck, according to investigators.

Customs officials sealed the container on June 6. Police filed a case with Bandar Police Station on June 27 under the narcotics control act and six persons have so far been arrested.