Gold smuggling on yaba route in Cox’s Bazar

Mohammad Selim, Chattogram

Smugglers have chosen the yaba route in Cox’s Bazar for gold smuggling as the safe path. The Yaba transit route in the district has turned into a gold smuggling route. Drug businessmen in Bangladesh and Myanmar are the mastermind of this new smuggling of gold.

Concerned sources said illegal businessmen are smuggling gold alongside yaba and ice. These illegal shipments are being sent to neighbouring India from Myanmar through Cox’s Bazar and Chattogram.

BGB-8 Commander Colonel Shahed Minhaz Siddique has been working for a long to stop gold smuggling. He said smugglers always use new routes to hide them. As part of this tactic, they are using unfamiliar Myanmar routes for gold smuggling. Besides, political instability in Myanmar is also a reason for safe gold smuggling on this route.

Colonel Mehedi Hossain, BGB Cox’s Bazar’s Ramu Sector Commander said, “We have seized illegal gold worth around Tk 10 crore in the last one year by conducting several drives. Every gold bar has the seal of Myanmar. However, we couldn’t know the destination of this smuggled gold.”

Once, Dhaka and Chattogram international airport were used for gold smuggling. But, in recent times, gold mafias are using alternative routes due to strict policies about gold smuggling through these two airports. Smugglers have chosen third countries like Myanmar, Singapore and Thailand to bring illegal gold to Bangladesh from the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Oman. They are using the yaba route and Yaba mafias for gold smuggling as safe routes. Smugglers bring gold shipments at Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar from Singapore and Thailand through Myanmar. Later at a convenient time, they send illegal gold to Riaz Uddin Bazar in Chattogram or Dhaka. The final shipments from Chattogram or Dhaka send to India through various routes including various land ports.

Detective Branch of Chattogram Metropolitan Police (CMP) is investigating a recently seized 9 kg gold case from Karnafuly Police Station. Investigating officer of the case Ali Hossain said this gold shipment came from Myanmar and was being smuggled to Riaz Uddin Bazar in the port city. Police are trying to find out the mastermind and final destination of this gold.

Police, BGB and RAB seized three separate gold shipments on June 16, May 25 and February 17 of this year. All three shipments came from Myanmar through Cox’s Bazar route, said the sources.

@ The article was published on print and online versions of The Bangladesh Pratidin on July 18, 2023 and has been rewritten in English by Golam Rosul.