Fake ‘journalist’ drug dealer held with 96 bottles of phensidyl at Benapole

A drug dealer was arrested today in Benapole while trying to smuggle in 96 bottles of phensidyl from Putkhali border area.

The arrestee was identified as Sheikh Selim, 52, of Pathbari village in Benapole, reports our local correspondent quoting a Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) official.

The incident took place this afternoon when Selim was on his way to Benapole riding his motorbike.

BGB personnel stopped him and found the phensidyl bottles wrapped around his waist after searching him, said Lt Col Manjur Elahi, commanding officer of 21 BGB.

Selim had tried to avoid being searched by the law enforcers by saying that he was a journalist and vice-president of Ekota Press Club, and attempted to convince the BGB personnel to let him go, the BGB official said.

Selim had been smuggling and dealing drugs in a similar manner for a long time, the official added.

The arrestee has been sued in a narcotics case filed with Benapole Port Police Station and he will be produced before a Jashore court tomorrow in the case, said Mamun Khan, officer-in-charge of the police station.

Many drug dealers in the border area have been involved in the narcotics trade by introducing themselves as journalists and using press stickers on their motorbikes.

However, the local administration has so far not taken any noticeable steps in this regard.