The Bangladesh Coast Guard has seized 200,000 yaba pills worth around Tk10 crore and arrested two suspected drug traffickers during an operation on the Naf River in Teknaf, Cox’s Bazar.
Coast Guard Media Officer Lieutenant Commander Sabbir Alam Sujan disclosed the information on Wednesday afternoon.
Acting on intelligence that a large consignment of yaba would enter Bangladesh from Myanmar through the Naf River, the Coast Guard stepped up surveillance and patrols in the area.
Based on the intelligence, Coast Guard Station Teknaf conducted a special operation on the river from 6am to 9am on Wednesday.
During the operation, a suspicious motorised wooden boat was signalled to stop, but its occupants ignored the signal and attempted to flee.
The Coast Guard team chased the boat and intercepted it in the Naf River near the Sabrang Alogola Jora area.
A search of the boat recovered around 200,000 yaba pills, estimated to be worth Tk10 crore, and led to the arrest of two suspected drug traffickers. The boat allegedly used for smuggling was also seized.
The Coast Guard is continuing intelligence surveillance and special operations to identify and arrest other drug traders and associates linked to the shipment, Sabbir said.
Legal proceedings concerning the seized drugs, the boat and the arrested suspects are under way.
He added that the Coast Guard would continue such operations to prevent the spread of narcotics.
