Coast Guard seizes 410,000 yaba pills, 21.5kg heroin worth Tk42cr in St Martin's
Drug smugglers flee to Myanmar waters after dumping three sacks into sea.
The Bangladesh Coast Guard has seized 410,000 yaba pills and 21.5kg of heroin worth an estimated Tk42 crore in a special operation near St Martin's Island in Teknaf today (8 October).
The seizure was made around 6am in Bangladesh's territorial waters near the Bangladesh-Myanmar international maritime boundary, said Coast Guard media officer Lieutenant Commander Sabbir Alam Suzan at a briefing in the afternoon.
According to the Coast Guard, its St Martin's station launched the operation based on a tip-off about suspected drug trafficking in the area.
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During the operation, Coast Guard personnel signalled a suspicious engine-powered wooden boat to stop. Sensing the presence of the law enforcement team, the suspected smugglers threw three sacks into the sea and fled towards Myanmar waters.
The Coast Guard team later recovered and searched the sacks, finding around 410,000 yaba tablets and 21.5kg of heroin.
The estimated value of the seized drugs is Tk42 crore, according to the Coast Guard.
Legal proceedings over the seized drugs are underway, it said.
The Coast Guard said it regularly conducts patrols and anti-drug operations around St Martin's, Bangladesh's only coral island, as part of efforts to prevent drug trafficking and other forms of smuggling.
It also maintains surveillance to protect the island's biodiversity and natural environment while working to ensure its security and law and order, the force said.
Lieutenant Commander Maruf Ahmed Shoukhin, station commander of BCG Station St Martin, briefed officials on the operation.
The Coast Guard said such operations would continue to prevent the spread of drugs and maintain security around St Martin's Island.
