55kg cannabis found inside gas cylinders

Detectives on Monday night seized a large consignment of cannabis -- hidden inside gas cylinders -- from a pick-up van.

During the drive at city’s Satrasta area, they also arrested two alleged drug peddlers. -- pick-up van driver Mohibur Rahman, 25, and another passenger of the pick-up Kamran, 22.

Peddlers used to cut the bottom of gas cylinders, stuff bags full of cannabis inside it, seal the lids with screws, repaint them to look brand new, and put them together with actual gas-filled cylinders, Shajahan Shaju, additional deputy commissioner of detective branch (North Division) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police told The Daily Star.

The consignments were being smuggled to Dhaka and Gazipur from Brahmanbaria, he said. 

“There were 78 gas cylinders in the van. Of them, 10 gas cylinders were filled with 55kg cannabis”, Shaju said.

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

Police officials along with the arrestees were seen in front of DB office on Mintoo road yesterday, unscrewing the cylinders after removing the layer of paint on it. Each of the cylinders contained five packets of cannabis, weighing over five kilogrammes each. 

Talking to The Daily Star, arrestee Mohibur said it was their third consignment, and it was supposed to be delivered to someone in Gazipur.  “We smuggled two consignments earlier using similar technique, but this time sirs (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 first time with the van.

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

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