Bangladesh in a tizzy on ‘Crazy Medicine’ ‘Yaba’

The India-Bangladesh border is 4,096 kilometres long and passes through a mix of plains, agricultural fields, hills and rivers. The Border Security Force (BSF), which is mandated to guard the 4,096.7 km India-Bangladesh border Fencing the border, which the Indian government began years ago to check cross-border criminal activities, is still to be completed. Out of the 4096.7 km long Indo-Bangla border, West Bengal shares a 2,216 km stretch with Bangladesh. 

The India-Bangladesh border in West Bengal is the longest and one of the most porous international borders in any state.

Yaba or ‘crazy medicine’,Heroinor BrownSugar, which are manufactured in Myanmar, flow into India’s northeast through the two states of Mizoram and Manipur, and are further smuggled out to Bangladesh through several exit points along the border. 

Besides Assam and north Bengal, Tripura is another state in the northeast that has emerged as a corridor between Myanmar and Bangladesh.

Phensedyl is a cough syrup, manufactured at several locations in different states of India andlarge quantities are transported to meet the demand not only in Bangladesh but across India’s northeast. 
Tripuraa hilly state in northeast India is bordered on three sides by Bangladesh and home to a diverse mix of tribal cultures and religious groups. 

The State shares an 856 km border with Bangladesh and smuggling of drugs is a serious issue.Bangladeshis and Rohingyarefugees play a major role in smuggling of narcotic substances. As per the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) data submitted in Parliament on July 7, 2022, around 80,000 bottles of codeine were seized from West Bengal and 1,10,044 bottles from Assam between 2019 and 2021. 

Phensedyl is legally manufactured in India and the cough syrup, containing codeine, is smuggled into neighbouring Bangladesh where it is in high demand and used as an alternative to alcohol.
In a significant operation, Cachar Police, in collaboration with the Border Security Force (BSF), seized 10,000 Yaba tablets along the India-Bangladesh border, on September 24th 2024. 

The operation took place in the Katigorah police station jurisdiction, a region known for cross-border smuggling activities. 

In another operation, Assam Police seizedHeroin, and Yaba tablets worth over 7 crores at Lailapur. The contraband was concealed in 30 soap boxes, and contained 375 grams of Heroin and 20,000 Yaba tablets.
In April 2024, Karimganj District Police conducted a search operation and recovered 100 cartons and 11 gunny bags containing 12,750 Phensedyl bottles.

On June 04th 2024, BSF and DRI seized Yaba tablets worth Rs 15 crores in a joint operation Yaba tablets, worth nearly Rs 15 crores.The operation took place within the area of responsibility of the Border Out Post (BOP) Mohanpur in West Tripura district.

In August 2024, another operation, conducted with input from the 16th Battalion of the Border Security Force (BSF), took place near the Chandshreekona Border Outpost (BOP). During the raid, authorities intercepted a man near the barbed wire fence, recovering 10,000 Yaba tablets from the adjacent area.

On October 31st 2024, two persons from Manipur were arrested after Yaba tablets, valued at Rs 10 crores, were recovered from their possession in Assam's Karbi Anglong district. Yaba tablets are illegal in India as these contain methamphetamine, a Schedule II substance under the Controlled Substances Act.

According to sources, the operation was meticulously planned and carried out by BSF troops from the 42nd Battalion. The operation took place within the area of responsibility of the Border Out Post (BOP) Mohanpur in West Tripura district.

On November 10th 2024, BSF troops of BOP Srimatapur under Sepahijala district seized 4000 Yaba tablets worth Rs 40 lakh. 

Inside Bangladesh, Cox's Bazaar hosts the world's largest refugee camp. There are close to one million ethnic minority Rohingyas, who crossed into Bangladesh from Myanmar in 2017 to escape a military crackdown. 

Their return to Myanmar is uncertain while their host, Bangladesh considers them a burden. Various armed groups such as the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), the Rohingya Solidarity Organisation (RSO) and the Munna Gang, are active among the refugees. 

Drug trafficking, kidnappings for ransom, extortion and murder have been rife. When aid workers and local authorities go home for the evening, the armed gangs inside the camps effectively take control after dark. They are known as the “night government” in the camps.

Recently, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan told reporters that Rohingya camps in Bangladesh have become the hub of international terrorists. One of the key points about the Rohingyas are that the majority of them are radicalized Muslims. 

They have extreme hatred toward secular individuals, nations, and governments. Rohingya presence in the country has serious national security ramifications, and it poses national security threats. The illegal influx of Rohingyas into India started in 2012-13, and inputs suggest links with Pak-based terror groups. 

There also are reports on secret links between Rohingyas and several jihadist groups such as Al Qaeda, Islamic State, Boko Haram, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Hamas, Hezbollah, Muslim Brotherhood, and Hizb Ut Tahrir, Islamic Mahad, Myanmar’s Karen Border Guard Force (KBGF), as well as Kayin State Border Guard Force (KSBF), who are accused of running drug trade, and also forced prostitution.

Bangladesh, which is currently administered by an interim government, has turned very hostile towards India, which is manifesting as a hate Hindu campaign, targeting Temples, priests, Hindu properties, and Hindus for targeted destruction and violence. 

India can throttle Bangladesh, by simply, becoming lax at the borders, which will open a floodgate of Yaba and Phensedyl, causing long term havoc on the economy and health sectors of Bangladesh. Mohammed Yunus should devote some time to read about the Opium Wars, otherwise it will be Yaba Wars, that can engulf Bangladesh.                             

The writer is Former Director General, National Academy of Customs, Indirect Taxes & Narcotics

(Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own and do not reflect those of DNA)