14 lakh yaba pills seized off Teknaf coast, 2 held

Daylight Boat Interception Off Teknaf Uncovers 14 Lakh Yaba Pills

Bdbusinessdaily.com – Border Guard Bangladesh has intercepted a major yaba consignment off the Teknaf coast in Cox’s Bazar, seizing 14 lakh pills with an estimated value of Tk42 crore and detaining two alleged smugglers.

The operation took place on the afternoon of 9 September near the Switch Gate area of Hnila, where border personnel had been maintaining heightened surveillance following intelligence about a possible narcotics shipment entering Bangladesh from Myanmar.

Officials said the alleged smugglers used a method intended to make a routine boat inspection appear harmless. They travelled by boat in daylight while presenting themselves as fishermen, but the drug-filled bags were not initially kept inside the vessel. Instead, they had been tied to the boat with ropes and left floating in the surrounding water.

Two men detained after attempted escape

The detainees were identified as Joygor Das, 40, son of Gopal Das of Jalirapara in Hnila Union, and Md Hossain, son of Md Shafi of Phuler Dail.

A special team from Hnila Border Outpost had taken position near the coastal area as part of the operation. When members of the Border Guard noticed a boat moving in a suspicious manner, they signalled for it to stop. The two people aboard allegedly attempted to escape but were caught.

An initial inspection did not reveal narcotics inside the boat. The absence of visible drugs, however, prompted personnel to expand their search rather than end the operation. They subsequently spotted several bags in the water, connected to the vessel by ropes.

Inside those bags, the team found yaba pills packed in khaki-coloured packets. The shipment contained 140 cartons holding a total of 14 lakh pills.

Smuggling method aimed to avoid inspection

The alleged use of daylight travel and a fishing-boat disguise pointed to an effort to blend into ordinary coastal activity. Carrying the drugs outside the boat was also designed to reduce the chance that a search of the vessel alone would expose the consignment.

Lieutenant Colonel Md Zahirul Islam, commanding officer of Ukhiya Battalion (64 BGB), said close monitoring and technology-based surveillance prevented the operation from succeeding.

The smugglers tried to bring the consignment by boat during the day while disguising themselves as fishermen. They kept the yaba floating in the water.

The recovery illustrates the challenges of monitoring waterways along the Teknaf border, where smugglers may try to adapt their transport methods to evade patrols. A search that focuses only on a vessel’s interior can miss items concealed nearby, making observation of the surrounding water as important as checking the boat itself.

Border personnel had strengthened patrols and surveillance in the Hnila border area for two weeks before the seizure. The operation followed intelligence indicating that a large shipment of yaba might be brought across from Myanmar.

Seized drugs and detainees sent to police

The yaba tablets and the two detainees are being handed over to Teknaf Police Station for further legal action.

Lieutenant Colonel Zahirul Islam said anti-drug operations would continue in an effort to stop narcotics from entering the country and to protect Bangladesh’s border areas.

Ukhiya Battalion (64 BGB) has detained 243 people and seized 1.43 crore yaba pills since January this year. The latest recovery adds another large consignment to that total and underscores the continued scale of efforts against yaba trafficking in the Teknaf region.

For residents and authorities in coastal border communities, such interceptions carry significance beyond the immediate seizure. They reflect the need for sustained patrols, intelligence gathering and careful inspection methods as traffickers attempt to conceal illegal drugs through changing routes and tactics.