New generation drugs spread quietly across Bangladesh

A growing range of synthetic and designer drugs is spreading quietly across Bangladesh, raising concerns among law enforcement agencies, public-health experts and crime analysts.

Alongside conventional narcotics such as heroin, phensedyl, cannabis and yaba, newer substances including MDMB, ice, khat, LSD, fentanyl, black cocaine, MDMA, DMT, DOB, magic mushrooms, kush, tapentadol, tramadol and ketamine are increasingly entering the country.

Law enforcement agencies have detected more than a dozen new-generation drugs since 2018. Experts say the use of these substances is increasing among young people in Dhaka and other cities, posing fresh threats to public health and social security.

Most of the newer drugs are expensive and are believed to be particularly popular among affluent young users.

Officials say around 90% of transactions involving new-generation drugs are conducted online, including payments. Drug trafficking networks are increasingly using encrypted platforms, cryptocurrency, dark-web marketplaces, social media and mobile applications to sell and distribute narcotics.

In response, the government has drafted amendments to the Narcotics Control Act, 2018, proposing special provisions to address online drug trafficking.

Under the proposed law, buying, selling, supplying, transporting or distributing drugs through information and communication technology, the internet, social media, mobile apps or encrypted messaging platforms would be treated as a criminal offence.

Financial transactions related to drug trafficking through digital payment systems, e-wallets, virtual assets or cryptocurrencies would also be considered illegal.

The spread of conventional drugs has also continued. Law enforcement agencies recovered an average of 3.6 million yaba tablets each month last year, while the average monthly seizure rose to more than 4 million tablets during the first three months of this year.

Authorities recovered 166 kilogrammes of heroin last year and 61 kilogrammes during the first quarter of this year. Cocaine seizures reached 14.6kg last year, while 16kg were recovered in the first three months of the current year.

Officials say the seizure figures indicate that yaba, cocaine, heroin and cannabis remain widely available, while a far larger quantity may be reaching users through loopholes in the enforcement system.

Drug analysts believe that traffickers are adapting their methods and changing the form of narcotics to evade detection.

In March, the Department of Narcotics Control arrested three Chinese nationals during a raid on a flat in Uttara Sector-10 in Dhaka, where an alleged temporary laboratory was found.

Investigators said liquid ketamine was being converted into powder and concealed inside Bluetooth speakers and sound equipment for distribution. Authorities recovered 6kg of ketamine, digital scales, packaging machines and a pen drive allegedly used for cryptocurrency transactions.

New-generation drugs are reportedly entering Bangladesh from countries in Europe, Latin America and Africa through international parcels and passengers posing as ordinary travellers.

Authorities have arrested several suspected traffickers in recent operations, and officials say many of those involved are foreign nationals. However, official records show relatively few cases specifically involving new synthetic drugs.

According to the Department of Narcotics Control, drugs are entering the country through border routes, courier services, legal pharmaceutical supply chains and online-based networks.

Small processing facilities or “mini labs” have reportedly been found in several parts of Dhaka, where substances including ketamine were being processed with the alleged involvement of foreign nationals.

Drug experts warn that synthetic drugs can cause rapid addiction and long-term physical and mental health damage. They say the easy use of social media and online communication platforms has made the distribution of these substances more convenient and difficult to monitor.

Deputy Director of the DNC’s Dhaka Division intelligence unit Md Mehdi Hasan said several new drugs had been seized over the past three to four years and that adolescents and young people showed particular interest in them.

He said some users order drugs from abroad through the dark web using cryptocurrency and online applications, adding that authorities were continuing their operations.

Assistant Professor Md Sakhawat Hossain of the Department of Criminology and Police Science at Chittagong University warned that synthetic drugs could become one of the biggest challenges for law enforcement agencies within the next few years if strict action is not taken.

He said the substances could create a social crisis similar to yaba because they are reaching users through multiple loopholes.

Prof Dr Arup Ratan Chowdhury, founding president of the Association for Prevention of Drug Abuse and Addiction, said young people account for around 30% to 40% of Bangladesh’s population and that a significant portion was gradually becoming vulnerable to drug use.

He said there was no accurate government survey on the scale of the problem but field-level realities suggested an alarming situation.

Police Headquarters Assistant Inspector General (media) AHM Shahadat Hossain said police were continuing a zero-tolerance policy against drug traffickers and users. He said law enforcement agencies were maintaining strict surveillance on new-generation drugs and taking legal action against those involved.