African national arrested with 200 grams cocaine from Uttara hotel in Dhaka

Just two days after seizing the largest consignment of cocaine in the country's history, the Department of Narcotics Control (DNC) seized 8.3 kilograms of cocaine, the largest such consignment seized in the country's history, from the capital's Shahjalal International Airport on Wednesday night.

The airport Armed Police Battalion (APBn) and Department of Narcotics Control (DNC) jointly conducted a drive in an Uttara hotel of Dhaka on Thursday evening and arrested an African national with 200 grams of contraband cocaine, said police.

The arrestee was Mohamedi Ali, 55, a Tanzanian national.

Mohammad Ziaur Huq, additional superintendent of airport APBn, said they jointly conducted the drive in room No-102 on "Hotel Afford Inn" after getting a tip that an African had been staying in the hotel with some drugs.

Initially the African was quizzed about the drug but he denied, said the ASP, adding that a dog squad of their battalion searched for the drug and found its presence.

Later, the drug weighing 200 grams was recovered from a black bag, he said, adding that the international market price of the drug is estimated at Tk25 lakh.

The African national came to Bangladesh from Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa via Qatar's' Doha on 20 January and booked room No-102 for his stay, he said.

A legal process was underway with the airport police station in this regard, he added.

Earlier on Thursday, the law enforcers arrested a Malawi woman with 8.3 kilograms of cocaine from Hazarat Shah Jalal International airport.

With this, two Africans were arrested with 8.5 kilograms of cocaine within a span of two days.