The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has detained a woman and two children after recovering 6,615 Yaba tablets smuggled inside the stomachs of the minors from Cox’s Bazar to Chattogram.
The recovery was made on Monday at the Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH) with the help of doctors. Earlier on Sunday, RAB personnel intercepted a CNG auto-rickshaw in the Sarkarhat area of Anwara Upazila in Chattogram, detaining the woman and taking the children into custody.
The detained woman was identified as Sharmin Akhter, a resident of Chakaria in Cox’s Bazar. The two children, aged nine and twelve, are from Alikadam in Bandarban.
RAB-7 Chandgaon Camp Commander Lieutenant Commander Towhidul Islam briefed journalists about the incident on Monday afternoon. He said that a Cox’s Bazar and Chattogram-centric syndicate has been exploiting children to traffic drugs for a long time. Following intelligence reports, RAB placed the syndicate under surveillance and set up a checkpoint at Sarkarhat.
According to RAB, Sharmin admitted during primary interrogation that the children were being used to transport Yaba from Cox’s Bazar to Chattogram inside their stomachs. The children were subsequently admitted to CMCH, where X-ray examinations confirmed the presence of drug packets in their stomachs.
Under medical supervision, the packets were discharged. Doctors recovered 67 packets from the stomach of the nine-year-old child and 66 packets from the twelve-year-old. A total of 6,615 Yaba pills were retrieved from these 133 packets.
Lt Commander Towhidul Islam added that the syndicate had persuaded the children to carry the narcotics by promising to bear their families’ expenses and offering them a payment of Tk8,000. Sharmin Akhter was sent along with the children to ensure they appeared to be travelling normally and did not raise suspicion.
However, the journey was a matter of life and death for the minors. Citing doctors, the RAB official warned that having Yaba packets inside their stomachs could have resulted in the children’s death at any moment, describing this method of drug smuggling as extremely dangerous.
RAB said that operations are currently underway to identify and arrest other members of the syndicate using children. The elite force has also urged guardians to remain vigilant to prevent children from being used in such drug trafficking crimes.
