BGB seizes 400,000 yaba pills near Myanmar border, three suspects escape

Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) seized 400,000 yaba pills near the Myanmar border in Cox’s Bazar early Monday, while three suspected traffickers managed to escape.

Acting on intelligence, a special patrol from the Hnila Border Outpost under the Ukhiya Battalion (64 BGB) took position in the Moulvibazar area at around 1 a.m., the force said.

About 15 minutes later, BGB personnel spotted three people crossing into Bangladesh from the direction of Myanmar with sacks on their heads.

The suspects attempted to flee after being ordered to stop. BGB personnel fired warning shots, but all three escaped, leaving the sacks behind.

A search of the area recovered three sacks containing 40 packets of yaba, with a total of 400,000 pills, according to the BGB. No other illegal items were found during a subsequent search.

Lt Col Zahirul Islam, commanding officer of the Ukhiya Battalion, confirmed the seizure.

BGB said it had intensified intelligence surveillance to identify those involved in transporting the consignment and bring them under the law. Operations against drug trafficking and other cross-border smuggling would continue, it added.

Ukhiya and Teknaf, along Bangladesh’s southeastern frontier with Myanmar, are home to some of the world’s largest Rohingya refugee settlements. The border region has long been a major route for yaba and other illicit cross-border trade.