From RMG entrepreneur to 'drug peddler'!

Police have arrested an alleged drug peddler who used to be a readymade garment entrepreneur until two years ago, officials said.

The Khilgaon Zonal Team Detective Branch of Dhaka Metropolitan Police arrested the man, identified as Md Rabiul Islam, on Tuesday night as he was carrying some phensedyl bottles by his motorbike to the capital's Rampura area.

"On a tip-off, we came to learn that some phensedyl was being carried to a Banasree [Rampura] home. In response, we launched a drive immediately. Sensing police presence, the drug peddler tried to escape the scene but failed. We caught him red-handed," Detective Branch Additional Deputy Commissioner for Khilgaon zonal team Shah Alam Md Akhtarul Islam told The Business Standard.

As many as 70 bottles of phensedyl were found inside the fuel tank of the motorcycle and both the drugs and the motorcycle were seized, he noted, saying that the arrestee has been smuggling phensedyl from the Cumilla border area to the capital for a long time.

"In primary interrogation, we have also learnt that Rabiul Islam was an RMG worker in his initial career. Later, he started his own factory named 'Sharika Fashion'. During the Covid pandemic, he went bankrupt amid the closure of factories and halt in work orders. He sold out all his machinery to pay due wages. Being badly off, Rabiul got involved in the illicit drug business," the DB official added.

Rabiul Islam has been living in Rampura for the past 25 years, according to the police. He took advantage of his familiarity with the area in drug smuggling. Every time he could bring 70-75 bottles of phensedyl, using his motorcycle's special chamber, and sell them at Tk1,000 per bottle ­­– which costs 130 rupees in India. The Cumilla-Tripura border was his sourcing hub.

Cumilla becomes hotspot of phensedyl smuggling

Like Rabiul Islam, many others are sourcing drugs, particularly phensedyl, from Cumilla, which shares a long land border with India's Tripura. To prevent such crimes, police have beefed up vigilance in the border areas.

Cumilla District Police, in the 2023 Police Week observed recently, have been recognised the top performer in recovering narcotics for 2022.

Eighteen police stations and detective branches under the district seized around 21,055 bottles of phensedyl and 1,21,529 pieces of Yaba tablets in 2022, according to Khandaker Ashfakuzzaman, additional superintendent of police for the district.

"Drug smugglers are highly active in the areas because of the border. We are also continuing to increase vigilance to prevent smuggling," he told TBS.

Department of Narcotics Control Cumilla Assistant Director Emrul Hasan said as Cumilla is the middle point between Chattogram and Dhaka, smugglers prefer it so that they can easily move to different parts of the country. Local people also help them in those crimes, he added.