Cannabis found in gas cylinders

They cut the lower parts of the gas cylinders in round shape, concealed five kilograms of cannabis inside each of it, shut those with screws, and finally painted the cylinders to make those appear untouched, in a bid to dodge the eyes of law enforcers.

This was how a gang of drug peddlers were smuggling cannabis, an illegal narcotic, to Dhaka and Gazipur from Brahmanbaria district for the last couple of months.

However, their trick did not work this time as detectives seized their pick-up van full of gas cylinders on Monday night.

During the drive at the city’s Saatrasta area, they also arrested two alleged drug peddlers.

They are: pick-up van driver Mohibur Rahman, 25, and his assistant Kamran, 22.

“There were 78 gas cylinders on the van. Of those, 10 gas cylinders were filled with total 55 kilogrammes of cannabis,” Shajahan Shaju, additional deputy commissioner of Detective Branch (North Division) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police told The Daily Star.

“The drug peddlers are using different techniques to smuggle drugs into the city and nearby areas. We are on alert,” he said.

Today, detective officials along with the arrestees were seen in front of DB office at Dhaka’s Mintoo road, unscrewing the cylinders after removing the thick layer of colour on it. Each of the cylinders contained five packets of cannabis weighing more than five kilogrammes together.  

Talking to The Daily Star, arrestee Mohibur said it was their third consignment and was supposed to be delivered to someone at Gazipur.

“We have smuggled two consignments earlier using similar technique but this time the DB officials arrested us,” he said.

He claimed that he used to get Tk 4,000 for every delivery, apart from the transportation cost of supplying real gas cylinders.

Kamran, a nephew of the pick-up van owner, claimed he did not know anything about the drug and came to Dhaka for the first time with the van to visit.

Mahbubul Alam, an assistant commissioner of DB North who led the drive, said that they have seized around 1,100 kilogrammes of cannabis in last one year. All the consignments were being smuggled into the city from India through Brahmanbaria.

“Several members of this gang are still absconding. We are trying to arrest them,” he added.