Drug trafficking continues unabated across 32 border districts in Bangladesh, with 29 sharing borders with India and three with Myanmar. Ranging from yaba and heroin to cannabis, phensedyl, and even cocaine, smugglers use creative techniques to transport these substances into the country, often evading law enforcement despite ongoing efforts.
Department of Narcotics Control (DNC) Director (Intelligence and Operations) Md. Bashir Ahmed acknowledged that drugs enter Bangladesh through multiple border routes. Traffickers hide substances inside dry chilies, jackfruits, and even pumpkins. He noted that the DNC has only 1,600 active personnel, despite having a total of 2,055 on its roster—far short of what is needed.
Criminologist and Associate Professor of Sociology at Dhaka University, Dr. Touhidul Haque, pointed out that Bangladesh is not a drug-producing country. “These drugs enter by land and air, sometimes with inside help. It is now so accessible that one can order any kind of drug online,” he said, warning that the rise in drug availability is also driving other crimes.
Data from the DNC reveals that 162 different border routes facilitate the inflow of various narcotics into Bangladesh. Of these, yaba comes primarily through 18 routes in Cox’s Bazar, Rangamati, Khagrachhari, and Kurigram. Since 2020, crystal meth (“ice”) has followed the same routes. Heroin enters through border districts like Rajshahi and Chapainawabganj, as well as from Myanmar and India’s Murshidabad region, especially after Afghanistan reduced its poppy farming and Myanmar increased its own.
Phensedyl enters through border districts like Dinajpur, Kurigram, Brahmanbaria, and Chuadanga. Cannabis is trafficked via Brahmanbaria, Cumilla, Naogaon, Mymensingh, and Sylhet. Foreign liquor and synthetic opioids like tapentadol also enter via India.
According to DNC records, over the last five years, law enforcement agencies have seized more than 201 million yaba pills, 2,193 kg of heroin, 153 kg of cocaine, 478,652 kg of cannabis, and more than 3.3 million bottles of phensedyl. In the first four months of this year alone, they confiscated more than 13.8 million yaba pills, 63 kg of heroin, 10 kg of cocaine, and 35,121 kg of cannabis.
As the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking is observed on June 26, 2025, the United Nations aims to raise awareness about the harmful effects of drug abuse under this year’s theme, “The Evidence is Clear: Invest in Prevention.” A discussion and award ceremony will be held at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium in Dhaka, attended by Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Md. Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, Adviser to the Ministry of Home Affairs.