Bangladesh Cities Face Growing Drug Crisis; New Courts to Speed Trials
A serious drug problem is spreading across Bangladesh. Major cities are now key markets for illegal drugs. This trend worries many people. The government created special courts to handle many pending drug cases.
On August 17, police in Cumilla seized 300,000 yaba tablets. These drugs were traveling from Cox’s Bazar to Dhaka. Such seizures show how drugs move from border areas to cities. Cox’s Bazar is known as a main drug smuggling route. Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed also confirmed this.
Official figures show large amounts of drugs enter Bangladesh through its borders. These drugs are transported to cities nationwide. Dhaka, Chattogram, and other major cities are now prime drug markets. This is because these cities have many people.
Legal records show 166,333 serious drug cases are pending across Bangladesh. A large number, 47,948 cases, are in major cities. Dhaka city alone has 21,920 cases. Chattogram city has 15,044 cases. Together, they hold almost 77 percent of cases in all major cities.
A study found 8.2 million illegal drug users in Bangladesh. Most users said drugs are easy to find. These users spend Tk 590 billion on drugs yearly. Cities attract traffickers for several reasons. They have many buyers and wide transport networks. It is also easy to hide drugs.
To address the backlog, the government created 22 special tribunals on September 3. These new courts will be in 10 districts and cities. They will handle over 100,000 serious drug cases, nearly 62 percent of all pending cases. Drug trials should finish within 135 working days by law. However, trials often take years due to slow investigations, absent witnesses, and too few judges.
Iqbal Masud, from Dhaka Ahsania Mission, said many drug users live in cities. He stressed that stopping the drug supply chain from borders to cities is crucial. Without this, drug control will not be possible.
