Political-drugs smuggling nexus

WHAT has become transparent is the phenomenal rise in the cross-border trade of illicit drugs. With yaba pills flooding the market from Myanmar posting a more than sevenfold increase to nearly 6 million pills in the last four years, we have witnessed a major rise in usage. From what was discussed at a meeting of Department of Narcotics (DNC) on January 5, the increased availability of such harmful drugs as yaba and phensedyl is fuelling an unprecedented rise in addiction. The crux of the problem in combating the narcotics war is being compounded by the alleged involvement of politically connected people having a hand in the running of drug cartels.

Despite increased patrols by border personnel on both Myanmar and Indian borders, the fight against drugs is not going well. As reported by the World Health Organisation back in 2007, nearly 5 million people in the country were addicted to drugs. It is not only a matter of stopping the drugs from filtering into the country; it has also a lot to do with treating those who are already addicted. There too, Bangladesh lags behind having a mere 117 beds in rehabilitation centres countrywide. In a nation of more than 160 million people, that figure merely goes to illustrate precisely how high on the priority list this major public health issue is for policymakers. Again, merely equipping the DNC with manpower and equipment will not curb this menace. It requires political will at the top to empower the DNC to go after the drug lords who have till now acted with impunity.