Bangladesh faces a growing drug crisis, with an estimated 8.2 million users. As the country does not produce narcotics, most are smuggled in from abroad. In a four-part series, The Daily Star explores the trafficking routes, the threats and the impacts of drug abuse. The first instalment looks at the key entry points.

A wide range of narcotics, from yaba to heroin, are being smuggled into Bangladesh through at least 105 border points across 18 districts, with Dhaka as the main destination for illegal drugs.

Phensedyl, crystal meth, and cannabis are also among the drugs brought in through three major corridors: the western and northern borders with India, and the southeastern border with Myanmar, according to the Annual Drug Report Bangladesh 2025 by the Department of Narcotics Control (DNC).

Bangladesh shares a 4,156-km border with India and a 271-km border with Myanmar.

The entry points in the eastern and western corridor fall within Satkhira, Jashore, Chuadanga, Meherpur, Rajshahi, Chapainawabganj, Joypurhat, Dinajpur, Sylhet, Brahmanbaria, Cumilla and Feni.

The northern border corridor includes points in Kurigram, Lalmonirhat, Sherpur, Mymensingh and Netrakona, while the southeastern corridor, particularly the area along the Myanmar border, remains the main route for yaba and crystal meth.

Several points in Teknaf, Ukhiya, Shahparir Dwip, Tumbru, Ghumdhum, Kutupalong and Saint Martin’s Island have been identified as active or vulnerable routes.

Traffickers use land borders as well as coastal and riverine routes to bring in drugs and then distribute those via courier and online channels, the report said.

They are increasingly using social media, online marketplaces, encrypted messaging apps, courier services and digital payment systems for the illicit trade.

Some traffickers swallow packs of yaba tablets, hide drugs in shoes, walking sticks and vehicle tyres, and also use women and children as carriers.

Though Bangladesh is not a drug-producing country, it lies along a major drug-trafficking route, making it vulnerable to cross-border smuggling, it pointed out.

AKM Shawkat Islam, DNC’s additional director general for Dhaka division, said cannabis and Phensedyl are smuggled mostly from India, while yaba enters mainly from Myanmar, often through Rohingya-linked carriers.

“Yaba now accounts for the major share of drug seizures in Bangladesh.”

When asked why Dhaka is the country’s primary destination for narcotics trade, he said, “Globally, drug traffickers target large cities with bigger population and higher cash flow. Dhaka is no different.”

Drugs are brought mostly to Dhaka’s affluent and densely populated areas where both demand and cash flow are high, he said.

According to officials at the home ministry and the DNC, Dhaka accounts for about 23 lakh of the estimated 82 lakh people addicted to drugs nationwide.

The report said the smuggling of synthetic and psychoactive substances such as LSD and MDMA (a stimulant and psychedelic drug) poses new challenges.

A psychoactive substance is any chemical compound that affects how the brain works, altering a person’s mood, consciousness, feelings and behaviour.

People aged between 16 and 30 make up a large portion of users and carriers of synthetic drugs, which are man-made chemical substances manufactured in a laboratory setting, said officials and experts.

Official data show that the seizure of yaba and other ATS tablets nearly doubled to 4.35 crore in 2025 from 2.28 crore a year earlier.

However, seizures of other major narcotics declined -- heroin (337kg, down from 503kg), Phensedyl (319,940 bottles, down from 572,865 bottles), cannabis (96,358kg, down from 114,345kg) and cocaine (15kg, down from 130kg).

DNC officials said around 80 percent of yaba and crystal meth entering Bangladesh are consumed locally, while the rest are smuggled out of the country in small consignments through airports and courier services.

However, for cocaine and some other drugs, Bangladesh is used primarily as a transit route, with most consignments being smuggled onward to India.

Requesting anonymity, an intelligence officer at the DNC, said Cox’s Bazar and Jashore serve as the two principal gateways in the country’s drug trafficking network.

“Cox’s Bazar sits on the southeastern Myanmar corridor, the main route for Yaba and crystal meth through Teknaf, Ukhiya, Shahporir Island, Tumbru, Ghumdhum, Kutupalong and St Martin’s Island,” the officer told The Daily Star.

On the western border with India, Jashore has several vulnerable points such as Benapole, Putkhali, Chougachha, Narayanpur and Sharsha, and forms part of the corridor used for smuggling Phensedyl, cannabis and heroin.”

When contacted, ANM Shajadur Rahman, superintendent of police in Cox’s Bazar, said drugs are being smuggled into the country, suggesting security lapses somewhere along the border. Once they enter the country, police come under pressure to tackle drug-related crimes.

He said that though narcotics control is not the district police’s primary responsibility, they must deal with its consequences, including seizure of narcotics.

Asked whether a new drug kingpin replaced yaba godfather Abdur Rahman Bodi after the fall of his network, the SP said, “The fact that no figure like Bodi has emerged here reflects the success of law enforcement agencies.”

He said the resources and capacity of Cox’s Bazar police have not expanded in line with the mounting challenges the district has been facing.

Similar challenges exist for police in Jashore, another key border district.

Syed Rafiqul Islam, SP of Jashore, said the district’s strategic location and the involvement of local criminal networks in narcotics trade have made tackling drug-related crimes a daunting task.

Noting that some drug dealers enjoy different layers of protection, he said, “Those who consume, deal or trade drugs often receive shelter or support from various quarters. Sometimes it comes from a few dishonest individuals, local influential people or politically connected groups. These links are difficult to identify.”

THE WAY FORWARD

Ashraful Huda, a former inspector general of police, said the authorities already know many of the entry points, which makes the next step clear: stronger intelligence, tighter vigilance and stricter supervision of officers deployed in vulnerable border areas.

“If we know the points through which drugs are being smuggled in, the question is: why are they not being stopped?”

He suggested intensifying intelligence activities at the border points identified as vulnerable and ensuring strict supervision of the officers posted there.

“There is no denying that, in some cases, weaknesses and dishonesty within law enforcement agencies help such crimes continue. Huge amounts of money are involved in drug trade, and people can be bought,” he told The Daily Star.

Pointing out that traffickers no longer rely only on traditional methods, he said, “They now use Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp groups with coded names to conceal drug transactions.”

Ashraful further said the existing monitoring mechanism must be made effective through a system of reward and punishment. “Those who perform well should be rewarded, and those found involved in wrongdoing must face stern action immediately.”

WEAKNESSES IN DNC

The DNC report said the agency faces shortages of manpower, modern detection equipment, vehicles and technical capacity for intelligence-led operations.

It also said drug cases often remain pending for years because of overburdened courts, procedural delays, poor investigation, weak evidence handling and witness intimidation.

When contacted, Mohammad Badruddin, additional director (intelligence) at the DNC headquarters, said, “With limited manpower and resources, we are trying our best to conduct drives, arrest the perpetrators and recover illegal substances.”

Requesting anonymity, a senior DNC official said the agency’s operational capacity will increase significantly as the Narcotics Control (Amendment) Act 2026 took effect on July 16.

Under the amended law, the DNC will have its own cyber unit, dog squads and wider operational access to airports, ports and other key points, the official said.

Police stations will have dedicated desks for narcotics cases, similar to specialised desks that handle cases involving women and children, the official added.