Tk 1 apiece: Man held with 10,000 yaba pills; could face death

Detectives arrested a youth while he was carrying a bag with 10,000 yaba pills in Dhaka's Bangshal area early today.

The arrestee was identified as Morshedul Islam alias Morshed (22), a resident of Bangshal area who hails from Kurigram.

Morshed was carrying the yaba pills to the capital from Chattogram, said Razib Al Masud, deputy commissioner of Detective Branch (Lalbagh Division).

A case under the Narcotics Control Act 2018 has been filed against him with Bangshal Police Station in this connection, the DB official said.

Quizzed, Morshed said he had brought yaba from Chattogram to Dhaka several times before and used to get Tk one for each tablet he carried, said Deputy Commissioner Razib.

Morshed was looking for a job in the capital when he met a man who offered him money in exchange for carrying drugs from Chattogram to Dhaka, the official said.

At first he didn't know that he was carrying yaba, but upon learning he continued to do so, Razib also said.

After his arrest, Morshed now faces the death penalty or lifetime imprisonment for possessing the 10,000 yaba pills, the police official said, adding that the arrestee was hardly aware that he could face such punishment for transporting the contraband narcotic.

The Narcotics Control Act 2018, in the case of production, processing, transportation or import-export of yaba or amphetamine, has provision for 1 to 5 years' jail and fine as punishment for recovery of up to 100 grammes of yaba, and 5 to 10 years' jail and fine if the yaba found is between 100 to 200 grammes.

If the amount of yaba recovered is 200 grammes or more, life imprisonment or death penalty with fine can be handed to the culprit, according to the act. This means a person may be handed death if 5,000 or more yaba pills are recovered from his possession, narcotics official said.