Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed on Friday said the government will amend the law within the next few days to allow officials of the Department of Narcotics Control (DNC) to carry modern firearms, including 9mm pistols, to strengthen efforts against drug-related crimes.
He made the announcement while addressing a discussion and award-giving ceremony at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium in Dhaka marking the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.
The minister said DNC officials would also receive specialised training to improve their operational effectiveness in tackling narcotics offences.
He added that the department would be equipped with detention facilities and trained sniffer dogs to enhance its enforcement capacity.
Salahuddin also announced plans to establish advanced drug-testing laboratories in every district, saying a proposal has already been submitted to implement the initiative.
Highlighting the growing burden on the judicial system, he said around 80,000 drug-related cases remain pending in Dhaka alone, attributing the backlog to a shortage of judges.
The government, he said, plans to accelerate the disposal of these cases by establishing courts with appropriate jurisdiction and prioritising cases according to their significance and volume.
Referring to the country’s legal framework, the minister noted that gambling offences are still governed by legislation enacted in 1867. He said the government is working to modernise the legal framework, including strengthening cyber laws.
Citing a recent study conducted under the supervision of the DNC, Salahuddin said around 8.2 million people in Bangladesh currently use one form of illicit drug or another, accounting for about 4.88 per cent of the country’s population.
He warned that the emergence of new synthetic and semi-synthetic drugs, commonly known as New Psychoactive Substances (NPS), has further aggravated the country’s drug abuse problem.
