Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed has said that no compromise will be made in tackling the masterminds behind the country’s drug trade. He said authorities have begun preparing an impartial list of top drug traffickers, and strict legal action will be taken against those identified after the list is finalized by a special task force.
The minister made the remarks while speaking to journalists on Thursday (August 7) night after a meeting on “Drug Prevention and Improvement of Law and Order” organized by the district administration at the Hill Down Circuit House in Cox’s Bazar.
Describing the devastating impact of yaba on the country’s youth, Salahuddin said preventing the spread of drugs is one of the government’s top priorities.
The Home Minister also outlined decisions taken by a special task force formed with representatives of the armed forces, law enforcement agencies and the district administration to control the drug situation in Cox’s Bazar.
He said every route used for drug smuggling would be identified and permanent law enforcement camps would be established at strategic points along those routes. He also said the Bangladesh Navy and Coast Guard had been instructed to step up patrols to prevent drugs from entering through waterways, in addition to efforts to curb trafficking over land routes.
Those working as drug couriers or “carriers” would also be identified quickly and brought under the law, the minister said.
The meeting was chaired by Cox’s Bazar Deputy Commissioner Abdul Mannan. Cox’s Bazar-4 MP Shahjahan Chowdhury, Cox’s Bazar-2 MP Alamgir Muhammad Mahfuz Ullah Farid, reserved-seat MP Shamima Ara Swapna, and senior government officials were also present.
Earlier in the evening, the Home Minister arrived in Cox’s Bazar on a two-day official visit. On Friday morning, the second day of his visit, he is scheduled to inspect the office of the Cox’s Bazar Development Authority (COXDA) and a flat development project.
He is also scheduled to attend the foundation-stone laying ceremony for development works at Cox’s Bazar Medical College Hospital. After completing his scheduled programmes, he is expected to return to Dhaka on Friday evening.
