Anti-drug drive: 75 more held in Dhaka

Seventy-five more people were detained in Dhaka today as lawmen have been continuing anti-narcotic drives across the country for the last 24 days.

Police detained 56 people from Jatrabari area and 19 others from Mirpur area in the capital for reportedly selling and taking drugs.

A team of Dhaka Metropolitan Police detained 56 people conducting drive at Dhalpur City Palli area of Jatrabari this morning, according to the DMP website.

The law enforcers detained them for reportedly dealing and taking drugs, it said.

In another drive, police detained 19 people from Jhilpar slum near Dhaka Commerce College in Mirpur around 2:00pm, Anwar Hossain, officer-in-charge of Shah Ali Police Station, told The Daily Star.  

The law enforcers also recovered a huge amount of illegal drugs including yaba, Phensedyl, hemp and heroin from both spots.

The nationwide anti-drug drive was launched by Rab on May 4. Police have been carrying out their own drive since May 18.

Till Saturday, more than 7,000 alleged drug traders have been held and sued in around 5,500 cases across the country. Another 3,100 people were sentenced to various jail terms by mobile courts, according to police and Rab data.

At least 96 suspected drug peddlers were killed in “gunfights” during the ongoing countrywide anti-drug drive in the last 13 days.