Drug kingpin held with record 21.90kg crystal meth in Cox's Bazar

Members of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) have arrested three drug peddlers, including Balukhali drug ringleader Bujrukh, with a record amount of ice, also known as crystal methamphetamine, weighing about 21.90 kilograms from Cox's Bazar.

The estimated value of the seized drugs is more than Tk63 crore. 

The detainees are Bujrukh Mia, 51, son of late Siddique Ahmed, and two of his associates - Md Ismail, 23, son of Md Abdur Shukur and Md Sayedul Bashar, 40, son of Abu Mandal.

According to BGB sources, Bujrukh, a kingpin of 'Ice Drug Syndicate', is also involved in the local Yaba business.

"The consignment of the seized crystal meth was intended to be smuggled to different parts of the country after being stored in the Ukhiya Rohingya camp," BGB Cox's Bazar-34 Battalion Captain Lieutenant Colonel Mohammad Saiful Islam Chowdhury disclosed the information in a press conference held at BGB Cox's Bazar office this afternoon.

He said, "A team of BGB after Tuesday midnight conducted a drive based on tip-offs that a large batch of drugs were being smuggled from Myanmar through the border area near South Rahmat Bill of Palangkhali Union under Ukhiya upazila. At around 4.30am in the morning, they saw a group of 6-7 people coming from the Myanmar side while carrying some gunnysacks." 

"Sensing the presence of BGB members, they left two bags on there and tried to run away. However, BGB managed to nab three at the time,"  he added.

Law enforcers later recovered 21.90kg crystal meth from those two sacks.

According to law enforcement agencies, just 10 grams of ice can fetch up to Tk1 lakh.