Over the past four decades, Bangladesh has been alarmed by the rise of new synthetic drugs, the number of drug addicts among adolescents and young women, drug smuggling, drug-related crimes, substandard rehabilitation centres, and lax monitoring and enforcement of laws.

During this period, successive governments have formulated new laws and modernized some age-old laws, increased border patrols and security at ports, and engaged with neighbouring countries as well as developed countries for a long-term and effective solution to the menace, but all efforts seem to have gone in vain.

According to the Department of Narcotics Control (DNC) and the police, there are currently over a dozen psychotropic substances causing problems throughout the nation. The common drugs that are being seized by different agencies include cocaine, LSD, crystal meth (ICE), DMT, MDMA, magic mushrooms, yaba (amphetamine), heroin, opium-ridden phensedyl (codeine), unauthorized alcohol, ganja (cannabis), injectable drugs (buprenorphine), glue, etc.

Authorities argue that, despite not being a drug-producing country, Bangladesh is vulnerable because of the close proximity of international narcotics-producing and smuggling zones like the Golden Crescent—consisting of Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran; the Golden Triangle—comprising Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand; the Golden Wedge, which includes the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh; and Nepal and a part of Bhutan.

Other reasons behind the unswerving spread of drugs include rapid urbanization, use of the internet and IT, lack of school education and social awareness against drugs, lax enforcement of laws and corruption in regulatory institutions, etc.

Cannabis, heroin, phensedyl, buprenorphine injection, and tapentadol tablets enter the country from India; yaba and ICE from Myanmar; and cocaine and LSD from South America and Europe. Apart from Bangladesh, glue-sniffing is a common problem among street children in Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia, Malaysia, Pakistan, India, and the Philippines.

Long history of production, consumption

In the seventeenth century, the Mughal dynasty started cross-border trade, exporting opium to China. After the East India Company conquered Bengal in 1757, they increased opium exports to China by 500%, from 15 tons per year to 75 tons.

During the ninth century, Arabian sailors and traders brought opium to Bangladesh primarily as a medicine and healing substance. Its medicinal properties were clearly known in the 13th century. It was not until the 15th century that Persia and India started to consume opium for euphoric purposes.

Its consumption started changing from medicinal to recreational purposes during the 17th century in Bengal. It became a threat when people started smoking it as a mix of tobacco and opium; Afim became a key tool of recreation.

Cannabis has been traditionally used in this country since the prehistoric period. The Hindu God Shiva is legendary for His inclination towards ganja and bhang. Saints of this country had been using Ganja from time immemorial. It is sourced from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Tripura, and Manipur through Kurigram, Comilla, and Brahmanbaria.

It is said that addiction to drugs among adventurous teenagers and adults begins with smoking cigarettes and then cannabis.

Winemaking had existed throughout most of the history of this subcontinent but was particularly encouraged during the time of the Portuguese and British colonization of the subcontinent.

Apart from establishing a distillery and introducing trading in opium and cannabis, the British Indian Government formulated the Bengal Excise Act, 1909, and established the Bengal Excise Department to control cannabis and alcohol production along with their opium trade, with a view to earning revenue from them.

The British also passed other legislation, including the Dangerous Drugs Act of 1930, the Opium Smoking Act of 1933, and the Dangerous Drugs Rules of 1938, to ensure and regulate revenue collection from drugs. Prevention and control measures were byproducts of these laws and applicable only to the illicit production and trade of drugs, which were again a means to ensure an undisturbed flow of revenue.

New trends: From 1970 till date

The demand for cannabis, opium, and alcohol did not change significantly until 1970, when Mritasanjibani Shura, an Ayurvedic health tonic containing 42% proof spirit, became popular. In 1984, the government banned the production, trade, and consumption of Mritasanjibani Shura and the trade and consumption of opium.

Earlier, Bangladesh formulated the Drug Ordinance in 1982, imposing a ban on some health tonics containing alcohol, alcohol-made homoeopathic medicines, and injurious drugs containing narcotics, sedatives, hypnotics, and tranquillizers, which were being largely abused at the time.

The elimination of the cannabis cultivation system in 1987 and the imposition of a ban on the production, trade, and consumption of cannabis in 1989 were other important measures taken by the government for the prevention of cannabis abuse in the country.

A few years later, another drug—codeine-based phensedyl syrup from India—was trafficked into Bangladesh and soon became popular in urban and rural areas. It was the most prevalent drug until 2000, alongside heroin. The synthetic drug yaba entered from Myanmar and injectables from India around the same time and became popular, surpassing heroin and phensedyl.

While the media often focused on small-time dealers and destitute addicts, others pointed fingers at the relatively affluent, including college females. During that time, it was reported that female university students were increasingly engaging in opportunistic sex work to finance their drug habits and live fashionably. Those women were negatively influenced by female flatmates or male students.

An alarming shift

Law enforcement officials busted the first meth lab in Bangladesh in Dhaka’s Jigatola in 2018. Three years later, police arrested three private university students in possession of 200 LSD blotting papers.

In January this year, the DNC seized 8.3 kilograms of cocaine, the largest consignment seized in Bangladesh’s history since 2013, from the capital’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.

Methamphetamine pills, or yaba, are the most frequently used and widely seized amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) in Bangladesh, with significant seizures since 2008. This crazy medicine is a cheap, potent, and highly addictive synthetic drug. Most of the Yaba labs are located in Shan and Kachin states along the Myanmar-China border.

In 2018, the Narcotics Control Act was amended with a provision for a death sentence or life-term imprisonment as punishment for producing, trading, and using 200 grams or more of Yaba or more than 25 grams of heroin and cocaine.

In December last year, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said Myanmar is now the world’s largest opium producer, surpassing Afghanistan, where the Taliban imposed a ban on its production in April last year, leading to a 95% fall in cultivation.

The area under opium cultivation in 2023 is estimated to have been 47,100 hectares, up from 40,100 the previous year, while the corresponding yield is estimated to have been 1,080 tons, or 36% higher than the 2022 estimate.

Where are all these drugs coming from?

In recent months, Bangladesh has witnessed some massive seizures of expensive and new-generation drugs coming from abroad. One of those hauls stunned the nation when the Department of Narcotics Control seized 8.3 kilograms of cocaine, the largest consignment in Bangladesh’s history, from Dhaka airport on January 24 and another 200gms from a hotel in Uttara the following day.

According to official data from the Department of Narcotics Control (DNC), from 2015 till December 2023, the DNC and different law enforcement agencies, including the Bangladesh Police, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and Coast Guard, seized 38.763kgs of cocaine. Other data suggest that cocaine was first seized in Bangladesh in 2013.

Cocaine, an expensive euphoria-producing drug, has no potential market in Bangladesh, and the country is believed to be used as a transit route from South America to Europe and North America.

Cocaine accelerates the heart rate, elevates blood pressure, and “speeds up,” or over-stimulates, the body. Before the development of synthetic local anaesthetics, surgeons used cocaine to block pain. However, research has since shown that cocaine is a powerfully addictive substance that can alter brain structure and function if used repeatedly.

On September 4, 2022, a raid on a luxury flat in Dhaka’s upscale Banani area revealed a culture of Dhaka youths consuming fusion drugs and becoming dependent on the peddlers who bring the drugs from different countries. The DNC raided the flat based on intelligence information and arrested Salim Sattar, a director of “Samah Razor Blades Industries Limited.”

A dual citizen of Switzerland and Bangladesh, the arrestee admitted that he used to collect cocaine from Spain, LSD and MDMA (ecstasy) from the Netherlands, Kush (K2 or synthetic marijuana) from the USA, and ICE and cannabis locally.

Due to his travels in different countries, he came to know about various drugs. He had been consuming and supplying the drugs to a close circle and various parties.

Earlier, police busted the first meth lab in Bangladesh in Dhaka’s Zigatola in 2018. Known as ICE, the dangerously addictive stimulant, despite its steep prices, has become fairly popular among the youth over the last few years due to its easy availability, as it comes alongside yaba from Myanmar.

Meth (methamphetamine) targets the central nervous system and produces an instantly elevated, euphoric effect that, according to experts, is much stronger than cocaine.

A youth who used to take the drug claims that curiosity about the drug stemming from the popularity of the American TV series “Breaking Bad” often leads youngsters to experiment with the dangerous drug.

In June last year, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (Unctad) said drug trafficking in Bangladesh is estimated to have resulted in an annual average of $481 million in outgoing illicit financial flows (IFFs) between 2017 and 2021.

The study finds that the calculation encompasses the trafficking of substances such as methamphetamine tablets (yaba), heroin, and synthetic opioids like buprenorphine and phensedyl.

DNC officials say yaba and other drugs have been spread in almost every corner of the country. Urban areas, in particular marketplaces, slums, parks, streets, educational institutions, crowded places, and even open spaces in recreational centres are aggravated by drug prevalence.

The existence of drug abuse in rural and remote areas is significantly visible.

All segments of society are badly affected by this menace. Mostly youngsters, unemployed people, criminals, and vagabonds are becoming hooked by the drug spree. In recent years, some young people from affluent families have switched to new drugs. These drugs are made available by international drug cartels that use Bangladesh as a transit route.

Bangladesh is not a drug-producing country, but it is vulnerable because of the close proximity of international narcotics-producing and smuggling zones. Usually, cannabis, heroin, phensedyl, buprenorphine injection, and tapentadol tablets enter the country from India; yaba and ICE from Myanmar; and cocaine and LSD from South America and Europe.

According to the seizure list analysis, the major drug market is Dhaka. Other drug-prone districts are Cox’s Bazar, Chittagong, Comilla, Brahmanbaria, Narsingdi, Faridpur, Gazipur, Narayanganj, Tangail, Mymensingh, Rajshahi, Natore, Pabna, Sirajganj, Bogra, Joypurhat, Dinajpur, Satkhira and Jessore.

While the country produces liquor in a state-owned factory in Pabna named Carew and Co, the Bangladeshi rich and middle classes prefer foreign liquors sold in authorized bars and warehouses. However, a large number of foreign liquors are brought to the country from India due to high demand and sold illegally in Dhaka and elsewhere.

Alcohol users tend to support easy availability and denounce that the DNC terms it a drug, as the social norms against alcohol consumption seem to be weakening. The purchase and consumption of alcohol are restricted for common citizens if they are not tribals or from scheduled Hindu castes. Special permits are required to buy or consume alcohol, but there is no visible enforcement of this legal provision.

Cannabis continues to be the most widely used drug in Bangladesh, followed by amphetamine (yaba), heroin, codeine-based syrup, phensedyl, and ICE.

Most of the country’s cannabis was smuggled, mainly for Dhaka, through the eastern border in Comilla and Brahmanbaria. According to seizures of cannabis by all law enforcement agencies from 2018 to 2022, it was found that the trend of cannabis trafficking and abuse was increasing alarmingly. In 2022, the cannabis seizure was two times higher than in 2020.

According to the DNC, most of the yaba labs are located in Shan and Kachin states along the Myanmar-China border, and yaba enters through the coastal border and the Naf River. Yaba seizures increased gradually from 2009 to 2014 and then sharply until 2021.

In 2022, semi-synthetic opioid drug heroin was detected and seized mostly in Rajshahi zone, but the number of addicts is higher in Dhaka. The heroin is smuggled from Lalgola in India, according to the DNC. Law enforcers seized 8.4kgs of heroin from a farmhouse in Godagari Upazila under Rajshahi in January this year. The highest seizure last year was 2kgs in Dhaka while being transported from Chapainawabganj, and 1.5kgs in 2021.

Phensedyl is mainly a codeine-based cough syrup trafficked from India. The big markets are Jessore, Dinajpur, Bogra, Brahmanbaria, Comilla, Rajshahi and Kushtia, but the biggest market is Dhaka. Pharmaceutical companies are trading the majority of the drugs in the vicinity of the Indo-Bangla bordering regions of West Bengal and the eastern part of India.

Crystal meth or ICE is a highly potent stimulant drug that appears in varied forms, such as powder or shiny crystal. It is now trafficked from Myanmar, with the bulk figure at a highly increasing trend.

The seizure of ICE jumped to 133kgs in 2022 from 37kgs in 2021, probably due to the fact that crystal meth is more potent than yaba. In 2023, the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) seized 21kgs of crystal meth, believed to be the biggest bust in a single raid in the country.

On the other hand, the use of buprenorphine injection, an opioid medication, was found to be comparatively less than other popular drugs, with Chuadanga being the highest prevalence area. The second biggest market is the Dhaka metropolitan area, and other big markets are Bogra, Chapainawabganj, Natore, and Dinajpur.

The modes of transportation remain unchanged with some exceptions, with trafficking by road and rail being the most typical mode of transportation, while some use air. However, due to the rise in mobile courts and checkposts, the traffickers now focus more on innovative concealment methods, DNC officials say.

Meanwhile, internet-based connectivity and the rapid evolution of online platforms have created myriad opportunities for drug traffickers and drug users because of the high degree of anonymity and less likely risks of law enforcement vigilance.

Officials say drug buying and selling on the internet occur at different layers in terms of the clear web, deep web, and dark web. Drug traffickers and buyers shift these platforms frequently, assessing potential risks and difficulties, and the dark net has become a safe haven for most criminal transactions.

How Myanmar border has become a worry for neighbours

Persistent political instability, the rise of insurgency and separatist movements, and military intervention since 1962 have gradually turned Myanmar into the most unstable country in the region and a hotbed for organized crimes and the production of illicit drugs. Being the next-door neighbour, Bangladesh has been heavily affected by synthetic drugs like yaba, Ice and heroin coming from Myanmar through criminal gangs as well as Rohingya nationals for the last 25 years.

Methamphetamine pills, or yaba, are the most frequently used and widely seized amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) in Bangladesh, with significant seizures since 2008. This crazy medicine is a cheap, potent, and highly addictive synthetic drug. According to Bangladesh’s Department of Narcotics Control (DNC), most of the yaba labs are located in Shan and Kachin states along the Myanmar-China border.

There are complex governance issues inside Myanmar, with a lot of fragmented groups controlling different territories. Drug production is happening in these often very remote areas where the borders are open and porous; it is easy to traffic items in and out of Myanmar, so that poses challenges for its neighbours, says the UN.

The organized crime trafficking gangs that dominate the Asia-Pacific region play a global role in the drug trade and other illicit activities. They look for safe havens where it is easier for them to do business and operate with impunity. They look for chaos, a lack of governance, and porous borders.

Concerned about the spread of yaba, Bangladesh amended the Narcotics Control Act in 2018 to include a provision for a death sentence or life in prison as a punishment for producing, trading, and using 200 grams or more of yaba or more than 25 grams of heroin and cocaine.

Additionally, Bangladesh has deployed an anti-trafficking task force in Cox’s Bazar and Teknaf.

In December last year, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said Myanmar is now the world’s largest opium producer, where the area under opium cultivation in 2023 is estimated to be 47,100 hectares, up from 40,100 the previous year, while the corresponding yield is estimated to be 1,080 tons, or 36% higher than the 2022 estimate.

The UNODC also reported that the most significant increases were registered in Shan State, which lies in the so-called Golden Triangle, a hub of narcotic production and smuggling. Opium cultivation in the Shan state increased by 20%, followed by Chin and Kachin states—bordering India—where it increased by 10% and 6%, respectively.

The UN has observed that the economic and political crisis following the 2021 coup and the widening conflict between the military and ethnic armed groups since October last year continue to drive farmers towards illicit opium poppy production in remote areas. The intensification of conflict in Shan and other border areas is expected to accelerate more sophisticated farming of opium.

It says the expansion of opium cultivation is feeding a growing illicit economy in the Mekong region, bringing together high levels of synthetic drug production and drug trafficking, money laundering, and online criminal activities including casinos and scam operations.

A key drug trafficking corridor

The UN is supporting a cross-border collaboration between law enforcement agencies in Southeast Asia to tackle organized crime along one of the world’s “biggest drug trafficking corridors.” The effort is centred on the Golden Triangle, where the borders of Thailand, Myanmar, and Laos meet and from where illicit items, including drugs, are trafficked to lucrative markets across Southeast Asia.

Jeremy Douglas, the Regional Representative of the UNODC for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, explains: “In Shan State, Myanmar, there is the major production of heroin and opium, but also synthetic drugs like methamphetamine, which are spilling out across the region and feeding the whole of the Asia Pacific [region], basically from Japan down to New Zealand and everywhere in between.”

While Myanmar’s traditional plant-based drugs have seen a drop over the last three to four years, there has been a slight resurgence in opium since the military takeover in Myanmar, as farmers are returning to cultivating the drug after losing other livelihood-generating activities.

“We also see a huge surge in synthetic drugs produced by organized crime networks, which have migrated their operations from other parts of the region because they can operate with relative impunity. They have invested in building big drug-producing facilities,” Douglas added.

Apart from synthetic drugs, these organized crime gangs are also involved in money laundering and all the other nasty elements that are associated with the trafficking of a range of different items, including wildlife products, arms, and even human trafficking.

The UN official thinks that sharing information and conducting joint operations can stop the delivery into Myanmar of chemicals needed to manufacture synthetic drugs and prevent the trade of hundreds of tons of drugs the other way.

What is Bangladesh doing to check drug smuggling, abuse?

Bangladesh has established strict laws and carried out numerous initiatives to stop drug smuggling and deter people because it has become concerned about the spread of various drugs over the past 40 years.

Eying a long-term solution, the Department of Narcotics Control (DNC), the regulatory authority under the Home Ministry, is implementing a three-way scientific approach: reduction of demand, supply, and harm.

Various programs are being adopted and implemented to create mass awareness about the dangers of drugs across the country as per the integrated action plan to build an anti-drug social movement with the combined efforts of government and private institutions, people from all walks of life, various professionals, and the media.

Earlier, workshops were conducted with eight divisional commissioners, 64 deputy commissioners, and 474 upazila nirhabi officers to facilitate the action plan, and interactive software has been developed to monitor various events.

The demand for drugs is related to supply. If the demand can be reduced, the supply of drugs will also be reduced. The DNC is working to increase public awareness against drugs regularly by involving celebrities and people from all walks of life. The DNC has used social media as an important platform to reach young people by sharing information and pictures through its Facebook page since August 2015. Currently, the page has 1.21 lakh followers.

The government has also set up a hotline number (01908-888888) so that citizens can provide suggestions, complaints, and opinions about the services of the DNC. In six months, until June 30, 2023, the hotline received 1,290 calls.

To make students aware, anti-drug awareness programs are implemented in schools, colleges, and university campuses. Five-member committees have been formed to make students aware of the ill effects of drugs in various educational institutions across the country. The number of such committees was 31,080 as of August 2023.

Cocaine, LSD, crystal meth (ICE), DMT, MDMA, magic mushrooms, yaba (amphetamine), heroin, opium-laced phensedyl (codeine), illegal alcohol, ganja (cannabis), injectable drugs (buprenorphine), glue, etc. are among the frequently seized drugs by various agencies.

Despite not being a drug-producing country, Bangladesh is vulnerable because of the close proximity of international narcotics-producing and smuggling zones. Cannabis, heroin, phensedyl, buprenorphine injection, and tapentadol tablets enter the country from India; yaba and ICE from Myanmar; and cocaine and LSD from South America and Europe.

Given the situation and the need, the Prime Minister’s Office has established three powerful committees: the Strategic Committee, which reports to the principal secretary of the PMO; the Enforcement Committee, which reports to the secretary of the Security Services Division; and the Anti-Drug Awareness and Social Movement Committee, which reports to the secretary of the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education.

Moreover, as per the decision of the Enforcement Committee, a Core Committee has been formed with the DNC and all law enforcement agencies, while an anti-trafficking task force has been set up in Cox’s Bazar and Teknaf.

Supply and demand

Stopping or reducing the supply of drugs is a major challenge since drug dealers and abusers are constantly adopting new tactics. The DNC, the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), the Coast Guard, the Navy, the police, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), and other law enforcement agencies conduct anti-drug operations regularly.

The DNC collects intelligence and prepares reports on the production, marketing, smuggling, and abuse of narcotics in the country; conducts operations and mobile courts to control the supply and demand of drugs; arrests drug dealers, confiscates illegal goods, files cases, and provides legal assistance; communicates with all international, regional, and foreign organizations and exchanges information and coordinates work related to drug crimes; and maintains a drug crime database.

The DNC has set up permanent offices to stop the infiltration of yaba from Myanmar by identifying drug trafficking routes. Surveillance has been increased by deploying manpower at Mangla Sea Port, Chittagong Sea Port, Benapole Land Port, and Dhaka and Chittagong airports.

According to DNC officials, Bangladesh has inked bilateral agreements with neighbouring India and Myanmar to address the drug problem.

Regular bilateral meetings are being held between Bangladesh and India at the director general level on drug control. Besides, bilateral meetings were held between Bangladesh and Myanmar to prevent yaba trafficking last year. At each meeting, Myanmar was requested to stop the production and flow of yaba and share intelligence about yaba manufacturing factories located on the Myanmar border.

Rehabilitation and guidelines

Since drug addiction is a physical and mental illness, the DNC focuses on providing healthcare facilities for the sufferers. By taking drugs repeatedly, the patient’s physical dependence on the drug increases. As a result, the person must take drugs again, even if he or she does not want to.

Due to the continuous consumption of drugs, the drug addict suffers from complex physical problems, becomes a burden to the family, and eventually dies if not given proper treatment.

As part of harm reduction, drug addicts are being treated at centres at the government and private levels to bring them back to a healthy life. There are only four government treatment centres with 199 beds for drug addicts in the country, which is inadequate compared to the number of drug addicts.

Besides, licences have been issued for 365 drug addiction treatment and rehabilitation centres with around 5,000 beds until June 2023.

The government has also been providing training for addiction professionals and distributing grants among the private rehabilitation centres every year since 2019, when 91 institutions were given Tk1 crore. The amount rose to Tk2.5 crore for 82 centres in the 2022-23 fiscal year.

Currently, there are no specific guidelines for the treatment of drug addicts in the country. So, the rehabilitation centres run in their own way based on their own experiences. To ensure a universally accepted standard, the DNC has prepared a draft on the treatment of drug addicts, known as the “National Guidelines for the Management of Substance Use Disorders (SUD)”.

At the four government facilities, some 7,372 old and new patients received treatment in the first six months of 2023; 16,316 in 2022; 10,014 in 2021; and 14,952 in 2020. On average, 5-10% of the total patients are women and children, and around 50% are new patients.

The government also provides counselling services for drug-addicted patients and family members. As of June 2023, some 9,487 people were provided the service at the Central Drug Addiction Treatment Centre in Dhaka. In the private sector, 15,915 people were given counselling services in the 2022-23 fiscal year.

Best practices and successes

The DNC has successfully conducted awareness campaigns in prisons, made dope testing for drivers and job interviews mandatory, installed temporary checkposts (3,539 posts in 2022-23), prepared trainers for educational institutions, distributed leaflets, posters, stickers, folders, and calendars, and formed community volunteer teams at the upazila level.

It has promoted 136 anti-drug campaigns on social media and 204 advertisements and discussions in mainstream print and electronic media in 2022-23.

In the 2022-23 fiscal year, 19,844 drug addicts were provided healthcare services at government treatment centres and 18,151 in private centres.

On the other hand, as per the Colombo Plan, the International Centre for Certification and Education of Addiction Professionals training was provided to 235 stakeholders related to the public and the registered private treatment centres.

During the same period, the DNC conducted a total of 90,926 anti-drug operations and filed 21,834 cases against 23,580 people. The number of cases and accused has increased by three times since the 2009-10 fiscal year, according to the DNC’s annual report for 2022-23.

In various operations, the DNC seized 4,982,202 pieces of yaba tablets, 21kgs of heroin, 280gm cocaine, 8,535kgs of cannabis, 16,928 bottles of phensedyl, 83,003 ampules of injecting drugs, and 1,980 bottles of foreign liquor in 2022-23.