Drugs worth Tk 1cr arrives in parcel from US
A new variant of narcotics -- gummy candies infused with marijuana -- has been recovered by the Department of Narcotics Control (DNC) recently.
The consignment came inside a parcel from the US state of California to the Foreign Postal Department of Bangladesh. It was packed inside a colourful packet of children's toys.
Along with the gummies, the DNC officials opening the parcel also found "Kush" (a pure or hybrid cannabis indica strain), alongside chocolate and brownies made of marijuana. The market value of these drugs is around Tk 1 crore, the officials claimed.
Investigators said a network is working behind this smuggling, and an investigation is ongoing in coordination with the US Drug Enforcement Administration to catch the masterminds.
DNC disclosed the developments yesterday, after the parcels arrived on Monday.
Mustakim Billah Faruqui, director general of DNC, said, "We are working to identify those who are sending these drugs from abroad. That's why we are coordinating with the US Drug Enforcement Administration."
Regarding the transaction of drug money, he said, "Since these drugs are coming from abroad, we think the issue of money laundering is also involved. Action will be taken in this regard after consulting with all authorities concerned."
Investigators said a person named Camilla Laura from California sent the consignment to the country through Easy Post. The receiver of the parcel was Asifa Zaman Afrin in Dhaka.
After verifying the address, it appeared that no such person lived there.
However, according to the mobile number given in the address, a man named Rasel Mia, 20, was arrested from Ashulia.
Rasel told investigators that Ramzan Mia, 20, asked him to take the parcel in exchange for money. Later, DNC officials arrested Ramzan and his friend Imran alias Raj, 20.
Both of them confessed to their involvement in the drug trade.
According to investigators, along with the three arrestees, many others involved in the incident have been identified, who have been part of this narcotics trade for a long time.
Mehedi Hasan, assistant director of Dhaka Metro Office (North) of DNC, said some parcels came to Dhaka in colourful wrappers by post from California.
But postal officials became suspicious as the parcel's address proved to be fake, he said.
"Then, when these packets were verified, drugs worth crores of taka came out of them. After the arrest of three people in this case, raids are being conducted to nab others involved in the incident," he added.
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