Home Affairs Adviser Lt Gen (retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury on Thursday said the government plans to set up separate prisons and rehabilitation centres for drug addicts in each divisional city.
The adviser said this while addressing a programme marking the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium in Dhaka.
Jahangir Alam said the government has already approved a project to construct seven divisional drug rehabilitation centers spending Tk 1,400 crore.
Highlighting various government initiatives against drugs, the adviser said the country’s development is being hindered by the ‘aggressive spread’ of drug abuse. “The driving force of any country’s progress is a productive youth population. To become a developed and successful state, we must protect our youth from drugs.”
Focus also on drug kingpins, not just carriers: Home Adviser
He expressed concern that people from different walks of life are getting involved with drugs and that women, children and adolescents are being used in drug trafficking, increasing their vulnerability to addiction and crime.
To address this, the adviser said, the Ministry of Home Affairs is working in coordination with the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs and the Ministry of Social Welfare.
He said the emergence of new synthetic and semi-synthetic drugs due to technological advancements worldwide, further complicates the drug abuse and trafficking landscape. “We need new strategies to combat these new substances.”
The Adviser said all law enforcement and intelligence agencies are vigilant against new drugs and that efforts to curb their spread are ongoing.
He mentioned that the Department of Narcotics Control (DNC) currently has 2,943 personnel, including 1,622 enforcement officers, for a population of about 180 million.
The DNC operates through 64 district offices, one special zone, eight divisional intelligence offices and eight divisional offices across the country.
Despite limited manpower and logistical support compared to other enforcement agencies, the adviser said efforts are underway to strengthen the DNC’s capacity.
Referring to recent major drug seizures by the DNC, he said the anti-drug drive will continue, with enhanced coordination among police, BGB, RAB, Coast Guard and the DNC as the nodal agency.
Under the current government’s directive, the “DNC Arms Policy 2024” has been formulated, and the first batch of DNC officers has completed firearms training, he added.
Terming drug abuse and trafficking a ‘multi-dimensional problem’, the adviser called on all stakeholders to engage in a social movement against drugs alongside law enforcement.
Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser Md Khoda Bakhsh Chowdhury, Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs Nasimul Ghani and Director General of the DNC Md Hasan Maruf, among others, spoke at the event.