Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan on Sunday told Parliament that Bangladesh faces the illegal drug problem due to its geographical location as narcotics come here from neighbouring countries. “Bangladesh has fallen into the drug problem due to geographical reasons, though it is not a drug-producing country,” he said, replying to a tabled question from Awami League MP Nurunnabi Chowdhury. Read: BGB seizes smuggled goods, drugs worth Tk 80cr The Home Minister said illegal drugs enter Bangladesh from neighbouring India and Myanmar. Yaba comes from Myanmar, while cannabis, phensedyl, heroin and injection drugs come from India, he added. Reiterating the government's zero tolerance policy against drugs, he said 31,545 drug smugglers were brought to book by filing 23,800 cases in the first three months (July-Sept) of the current financial year. Read: 3 drug peddlers held with 50,000 yaba pills In the cases, 15,549,938 (1.55 crore) pieces of yaba, 116.187 kg heroin, 20,742 kg cannabis, 81,864 bottles of phensedyl, 19,248 ampoules injecting drug and 57,971 bottles of foreign liquor were seized.

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