‘Meth trade in the hands of a few’
Alongside yaba, drug traders are now peddling the high-priced synthetic drug crystal meth, also called "ice", according to narcotics officials.
In the last two years, different law enforcement agencies conducted raids in Dhaka and Chattogram, and seized a huge amount of crystal meth.
A high official in the narcotics department, wishing not to be named, said five to seven persons are now controlling the ice trade in Dhaka. He, however, refused to share their details.
On Friday, Department of Narcotics Control (DNC) arrested 10 persons with 500 grammes of crystal meth and 5,000 yaba pills from the capital's Uttara, Banani, Banasree, Khilkhet and Bashundhara Residential Area.
DNC officials said in recent times, meth is being smuggled in from Myanmar through Teknaf border, an established gateway for yaba.
It is sold to affluent people living in upscale neighborhoods – 10 grammes go for a minimum of Tk 1 lakh, said narcotics officials.
Crystal methamphetamine, a powerful drug that affects the central nervous system, poses high risks of stroke, heart attack, teeth decay, and permanent hallucinations, according to the website of the US National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Shafiqul Islam Sarker, an assistant chemist at DNC, said the drug is more hazardous than yaba. Meth is about 20 times more potent than yaba. A raw material for yaba -- methamphetamine, in its cube form, is called crystal meth.
He added it is possible to make one lakh yaba pills with 500g of ice. Now drug dealers are bringing more ice than yaba. As it is easy to carry, it is possible to evade law enforcers.
The detainees include drug traders and those addicted to the drug. Most of them are businesspersons, private university students, and youngsters from rich families in Dhaka, DNC Additional Director Fazlur Rahman told a press briefing at its Tejgaon office yesterday.
Officials said eight cases will be filed against them with different police stations.
The arrestees, however, claimed that they were framed, and DNC officers took Tk 50,000 from them. DNC officials denied the allegations.
DNC officials said they first came to know about ice after arresting two people from Dhaka's Mohammadpur in February, 2019. Then the department busted a narcotics manufacturing lab and seized five grammes of meth from the capital's Jhigatola on February 27. On June 28, DNC arrested a Nigerian national from Dhaka with around 500g of ice.
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