Up to 3,500 people are involved in illicit drug business in the capital, the Department of Narcotics Control said on Friday vowing to crack down on them soon. Some of the listed people are directly involved in drug dealing, some are patrons or investors, Fazlur Rahman, Head and Additional Director of Department of Narcotics Control’s Dhaka Division, told a press conference in Dhaka.   Recently, a team of the Narcotics Control Department (DNC) of Dhaka Metro-North arrested five drug dealers along with 560 grams of ice and 1,200 pieces of yaba worth Tk 90 lakh after conducting drives in Gulshan, Bhatara, Kuril and Ramna areas of the capital. This was the largest-ever seizure of ice in Dhaka, claimed the agency. Read: Detectives arrest fugitive drug dealer in Natore The list of drug dealers was compiled after analyzing information from the imams, public representatives, locals, victims, drug addicts, previous drug related crimes and law enforcement agencies, he said.

The High Court on Tuesday issued a rule asking the government to explain as to why the ineffectiveness of the authorities concerned in preventing scenes depicting smoking in movies and plays, should not be declared illegal. The HC bench of Justice JBM Hassan and Justice Razik-Al-Jalil issued the rule following a writ petition. It also asked the authorities concerned to explain as to why directives should not be given to them for implementing the Narcotics Control Act. Also read: Polluting canal: HC issues contempt of court rule against 5 govt officials Secretaries to the Public Health and Family Planning, Law, Home, Information and Bangladesh Film Censor Board Chairman have been made respondents to the rule which is returnable in four weeks. Advocate Maniruzzaman Linkon stood for the petitioner while deputy attorney general Tushar Kanti Roy represented the state. On February 3, Bangladesh Cancer Society, Anti drug organisation ‘Prattyasha’ and Population Development Organisation (PDO) filed a petition seeking ban on use of smoking and showing smoking scenes in movies and plays. “There is a law on using drugs and tobacco but it is ineffective,” said Advocate Maniruzzaman. On March 11, 2020, a legal notice was sent to the Secretaries to the Public Health and Family Planning, Law, Home, Information and Bangladesh Film Censor Board Chairman seeking implementation of the law. But no response came from the respondent, he said. Also read: HC issues rule on ethics code for news media According to the writ, Bangladesh has signed the ‘Framework Convention on Tobacco Control’ (FCTC) in an effort to discourage people from smoking and tobacco during the 56th conference of World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2003. To make the issue a success, the government enacted a law on Smoking and Using of Tobacco Products (Control) Act, 2005. According to the law, smoking in public places is an offence and there is a provision to fine Tk 300 to those who are found smoking in public places or public transport. As per the section 5 (1) of the law, Prohibition of advertisement of tobacco products. -(1) No person shall-display advertisement on tobacco products in cinema hall or government and non-government radio and television channel, and shall not make any exhibition of photographs audible or made audible :print or publish or make published any advertisement in any books, magazines, handbills, bill-board, newspaper or printed papers published in Bangladesh; and distribute or supply to public any leaflet, handbill or documents containing the name of brand of tobacco product, colour, logo, trade mark, sign, symbol or advertisement.

Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police on Sunday arrested four members of a narcotics ring with 44,000 pieces of contraband yaba pills from the capital's Khilgaon. The arrestees were identified as Md Sujon, 30, Md Mosharaf Hossain, 40, Md Ashraf Ali, 26, and Md Jahirul Islam, 31. Also read: RAB arrests drug dealers, recovers yaba, hemp Policemen nabbed the four from the Banashree area during a drive and also seized a truck, used for carrying narcotics, from them, said Assistant Commissioner of DB Madhusudan Das. "A case has been filed with Khilgaon Police Station in connection with the incident," he added. Also read: Bangladesh Coast Guard seizes 30,000 yaba pills in Teknaf "The arrestees would transport yaba pills to Dhaka from Cox's Bazar in a special chamber created on the roof of the driving seat of the truck," Madhusudan said.

Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) on Sunday arrested a suspected drug trader with heroin of Tk1.8 crore from Rajshahi city’s Gopalpur.

Rapid Action Battalion(RAB) arrested two alleged drug traders and recovered 7,900 Yaba pills and 250 bottles of Phensidyle on Saturday.

A man, believed to be the leader of a robber gang, was killed in a reported gunfight with police in Barankhola area of Boalmari upazila on early Wednesday.