Staff Correspondent
The number of drug and alcohol addicts is alarmingly increasing in the city and across the country while drug traders have expanded their drug business pushing large number of people including young and women of low, middle and higher income families into drug addiction.
At least 65 lakhs people including 1 lakh and 50 thousands women are drug addicted, 90 per cent of them are young people between age of 18 to 25. Especially, a portion of them are students of different private and public universities located in the city.
Sources said that large numbers of people have been taking various drugs and alcohols as drug traders are desperately dealing in different parts of the city maintaining a close relation with police and other law enforcers.
In the recent days, the female students are being addicted to drugs and their number is on the sharp rise. According to a United Nation survey report some 65 lakh people in Bangladesh are drug addicts. Of them, 13 per cent are female and rests 87 per cent are male and most of the totals are lower and middle class family members.
Talking to this correspondent, a Dhaka University (DU) student said that a good number of students involved in student politics take different types of drugs and alcohols and at one stage, they becomes addicts. Citing an example, he said “Rafique was a student of Bengali Department in DU. At first, he was engaged in student politics and gradually he becomes addicted and finally, his elder brother took him to the rehabilitation centre for treatment,” he narrated.
A significant number of drug addicted females are seen taking drug in front of the Institute of Fine Arts of Dhaka University. On the other hand, premises of central Shaheed Minar witness a heavy rush of female drug addicts especially in the evening. They are taking drug under the very nose of the concerned authority.
Another source said the traffickers in the country are provided with all logistic support from their Indian suppliers whenever they fall in trouble or are arrested with the contraband items. This logistic support comes as part of the suppliers’ design to expand the illegal trade and raise the consumption of the item.
Apart from these, the people with higher income are used to take drug and alcohol as they consider it fashionable. Boys and daughters of high class families always enjoy more freedom to move here and there with friends and sometimes they experiment with drugs. However, this practice once again pushes them into drug addiction.
As some 30 per cent people are not getting good jobs after completion of higher education from different colleges and universities they become frustrated and tend towards drug addiction.
The large number of contraband items including phensidyl, heroin, cannabis, pathedrin, seduxen, and yaba arrive at Tongi Station Road, Aminbazar truck stand through the Turag river, village Bardeshi and Vakurta union parishad of Savar, Zinjira of Keraniganj and the eastern parts of the capital. Besides, suburbs and the adjoining areas of the capital including Keraniganj, Savar, Pagla, Tongi and Kaliganj of Gazipur and Chittagong Road are the main shelters of the drug-dealing criminals.
Myanmar, Vietnam and Laos cultivate and produce opium and heroin and the mafia leaders have been supplying across the country including neighboring countries. Of the countries, 70 per cent of the heroin and opium produced by Myanmar enter into Bangladesh by river routes. Then country’s drug traders associating with members of law enforcing agencies pass the drug and alcohol items to different parts of the city to their clients.
A source, at Karwan Bazaar slum area, said that they have a group who engage in drug business. They don’t stay in the same area for long and come to the area with drugs for the clients communicating with clients by mobile phone. “Law enforcing agencies know us. We try to keep us disguised. Without associating with law enforcers it is not possible to run the business,” he said.
While talking to this correspondent, an official of Department of Narcotic Control said that they try their best to keep the situation under control. Their anti-drug drive is not being conducted in full swing due to poor manpower. If coordination among the law enforces and Narcotic Control Department is maintained always and properly, the drive against drug traffickers across the country would be more effective. At different times, they work together with RAB and police to combat drug and alcohol traffickers.
Department of Narcotics Control (DNC) with some collaboration has already strengthened its drive against drug and alcohol traders in the city and across the country.
It may be pointed that and a team led by DNC Inspector of Ramna Zone Shamsul Kabir has seized 2.5kgs of heroin and nabbed two people in city’s Mirpur area on Thursday. Later, raiding at Mirpur-12, the team seized more 2.5 kgs heroin and no one was nabbed in this connection.
Around TK 10,000 crore are being trafficked out from country for drug smuggling in the country every year and due to geographical position, Bangladesh has become the route of illegal drug trading from where drugs pass to different countries in the region.
Courtesy: thebangladeshtoday.com
