BGB seizes 130,000 yaba pills in Ukhiya, arrests three

Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) seized 130,000 yaba pills and arrested three people in two separate operations along the Ukhiya border in Cox’s Bazar, the force said Friday.

One of the operations also turned violent when a group allegedly attempted to snatch a detainee from BGB custody, leaving a border guard injured.

The Ukhiya Battalion (64 BGB) said in a statement that a special patrol from Whykong BOP took position in the Karengagona area around 4:30am Friday following a tip-off.

The patrol challenged two men as they allegedly crossed into Bangladesh from Myanmar. The pair tried to flee but were caught after a chase, according to BGB.

They were identified as Md Rashed, 20, of Monirgona in Teknaf, and Md Abdullah, 22, a resident of Rohingya Camp No. 11 in Ukhiya.

BGB said three packages containing 120,000 yaba pills were recovered from them. During preliminary questioning, the two allegedly admitted bringing the drugs from the Myanmar border for sale at higher prices.

In a separate operation Thursday afternoon near the Konapara post along the Naf River, BGB detained 17-year-old Md Borhan Uddin and recovered 10,000 yaba pills from a package in his possession.

BGB alleged that Borhan’s mother then tried to snatch him from custody and struck a border guard with a boat oar. Several other people subsequently gathered with sticks and threw bricks at BGB personnel, creating a tense situation.

The force said it eventually brought the situation under control and took the detainee and seized drugs to the border outpost.

Borhan allegedly told investigators that he had brought the yaba from the Myanmar border and was transporting it to a Rohingya camp.

The three detainees were later handed over to police.

Lt Col Zahirul Islam, commander of the Ukhiya Battalion, said intelligence surveillance had been intensified to identify drug suppliers and smugglers, adding that anti-narcotics and anti-smuggling operations along the border would continue.