Ukhiya, Aug 08 (V7N) — Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has seized a total of 130,000 yaba tablets in two separate anti-smuggling operations along the Ukhiya border in Cox’s Bazar, arresting three suspects, officials said on Friday.
According to a statement issued by the 64 BGB Battalion, two suspects were arrested during a pre-dawn operation on Friday, while a third was detained in a separate operation on Thursday afternoon. All three have been handed over to the local police for legal proceedings.
The BGB said a special patrol team from the Hwaikyong Border Outpost (BOP) was deployed in the Karengagona area of Ukhiya at around 4:30 a.m. on Friday after receiving intelligence about suspected cross-border drug smuggling.
The patrol challenged two men allegedly entering Bangladesh from Myanmar. The suspects attempted to flee but were chased and apprehended, the statement said.
The detainees were identified as Md. Rashed, 20, from Monirghona village in Teknaf, and Md. Abdullah, 22, a resident of Rohingya Camp-11 in Ukhiya.
BGB members recovered three packages containing 120,000 yaba tablets from their possession, according to the statement. During preliminary questioning, the suspects allegedly admitted they had transported the drugs from the Myanmar border for distribution in Bangladesh.
In a separate operation on Thursday afternoon near the Naf River under the Konapara BOP, BGB personnel detained a 17-year-old identified as Md. Borhan Uddin. Officers allegedly recovered 10,000 yaba tablets from a package he was carrying.
The BGB also claimed that during the arrest, the teenager's mother attempted to free him and struck a BGB member with a boat oar. The situation escalated when several local residents reportedly gathered with sticks and threw bricks at the patrol team. BGB personnel later brought the situation under control and transported the suspect and the seized drugs to the border outpost.
According to the BGB, Borhan Uddin told investigators during initial questioning that he had been carrying the drugs from the Myanmar border for delivery to a Rohingya refugee camp.
Lieutenant Colonel Zahirul Islam, commanding officer of the Ukhiya Battalion, said intelligence surveillance had been intensified to identify drug traffickers and smugglers operating along the border.
He added that anti-narcotics and anti-smuggling operations would continue as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen border security.
Authorities have not yet disclosed whether formal charges have been filed against the suspects. An investigation is ongoing.
