779,214 bottles of banned cough syrup seized in 6 months of 2019 while 715,529 bottles seized in 2018
Phensedyl makes comeback
Drug peddlers take chance due to strong stance against yaba smuggling
SAUGATO BOSU, Dhaka
Smuggling of phensedyl , a cough syrup manufactured in India and widely used by drug addicts in Bangladesh, has marked an increase amid a nationwide crackdown against yaba, a methamphetamine-based drug primarily smuggled into the country from Myanmar.
Owing to a strong demand, the price of phensedyl is also spiking up. A bottle of phensedyl was earlier sold at Tk 300400, now it costs from Tk 1,200 to Tk 2,000.
According to law enforcers, new phensedyl factories have mushroomed in Indian territories near border points, making the drug, which is illegal in Bangladesh, widely available in the districts bordering India.
Officials of law enforcement agencies and the Department of Narcotics Control (DNC) said the drug dealers in India have set up phensedyl factories next to the India-Bangladesh borders of 19 districts. Moreover, many factories in India that were earlier closed have reopened and resumed their businesses recently.
DNC officials said they have analysed data of phensedyl recoveries and found that the shipments of phensedyl have increased by around 25 per cent.
An official of DNC said once phensedyl was the most popular substance among Bangladeshi drug users. But as yaba became widely available, the demand for the cough syrup went down. Moreover, law enforcers in India had shut down many factories located near the Bangladesh border. But the demand for phensedyl has gone up as law enforcers are only busting yaba smuggling rings across the country.
Seizure data shows marked rise
The combined data of Police, RAB, BGB and DNC show that the agencies seized 779,214 bottles of phynsedyl during first six months of 2019. However, in the twelve months of 2018, the agencies seized 715,529 bottles of phynsedyl.
As such, the phensedyl seizure in just six months of 2019 exceeded the quantity seized during the whole year in 2018 by about 63,685 bottles, showing a marked rise in seizure.
According to data from the police, a total of 4.60 lakh bottles of phensedyl and 1.64 crore pieces of yaba tablets were seized in the first six months of this year. A total of 67,093 cases were filed with 88,106 arrests over these incidents.
According to Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) headquarters data, they
seized 97,358 bottles of phensedyl in 2018 and 109,428 bottles in first six months of 2019.
The DNC, in first six months of 2019, seized 163,065 bottles of phensedyl, while it had seized 357,771 bottles in 2018. Earlier, in 2016 the DNC seized 267,725 bottles of phensedyl and in 2017
it seized 330,480 bottles. The Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) seized 33,115 bottles of phensedyl in November of 2019 and 200,391 bottles in the first six months of 2019. The BGB seized 359,150 bottles of phensedyl in 2018.
How phensedyl prices are set
The Independent learned from a number of phensedyl users and traders that a bottle of phensedyl costs around Tk 300 when brought from India. But the smugglers allegedly pay monthly allowances to local politicians, law enforcers and other agencies to continue their illegal trade, pushing the sale price of a bottle of phensedyl to Tk 600 or more in border districts. After shipping these drugs to Dhaka and its surrounding areas, a bottle of phensedyl is sold at Tk 800 to small drug peddlers. These peddlers sell these to drug users at a retail price between Tk 1200 and Tk 2000.
Sources said despite an increased supply in recent days the price of phensedyl continues to go up due to a high demand. They also said the drug traders need to change their shipment process quite often, using different routes and transports to evade law enforcers amid a heightened vigilance due to the anti-drug drive, pushing the prices up.
Sources with the DNC and Police said that Shipment of phensedyl usually arrives in the capital by changing hands of traders from the border. phensedyl is brought especially by cargo trucks. Large shipments of phensedyl are brought from the border areas in specially made chambers inside vehicles, which make it difficult to detect, they said.
Area of Trade
A DNC report says phensedyl shipments enter Bangladesh through 19 districts, which are: Brahmanbaria, Cumilla, Feni, Satkhira, Jessore, Jhenaidah, Chuadanga, Kushtia, Rajshahi, Chapainawabganj, Joypurhat, Dinajpur, Lalmonirhat, Kurigram, Mymensingh, Jamalpur, Sunamganj, Sylhet, and Moulvibazar.
The DNC report also says there are phensedyl factories in the Tura area of Meghalaya and in Krishnanagar, Berhampur, Malda, and Falakata of West Bengal. As a result, the drug is easily being smuggled into Bangladesh through the border areas.
In 2016, India had banned the production and marketing of around 350 fixed dose combination (FDC) drugs, including cough syrups like phensedyl and corex.
Several DNC officers currently working in the border areas said there were several phensedyl factories currently operational on the outskirts of the border. They had remained closed for the past few years.
A number of drug traffickers detained recently with phensedyl shipments said the factories have reopened.
What the authorities say
DNC assistant director Khorshed Alam told the Independent that they noticed that most of the recent drug-trafficking cases were filed against phensedyl traders.
We are seizing phensedyl regularly and feel that its popularity has seen a surge. Earlier, 80 per cent of the cases were yaba-related, but now phensedyl has become a concern for us. In recent times, we have seized more phensedyl than yaba, he said.
He also said that no drug was produced in Bangladesh. They come from the neighboring countries. India is mostly responsible for phensedyl, while yaba comes mostly from Mayanmer. All the districts next to the Indian border are the hub of drugs, he noted.
We are keeping a close eye on all drug shipments. We have intelligence reports. Were trying to stop phensedyl shipments, he added.
RAB (legal and media wing) Senior Assistant Director Mizanur Rahman Bhuiyan said that the price of phensedyl depends of demand of the drug.
However, due to a strong focus on yaba, the prices have risen. As a result, yaba traders and consumers are switching their business to other drugs. Because of this, shipments of cannabis and phensedyl have increased recently. We are maintaining a tough stance against all drugs. I hope the shipment of these drugs will decrease soon, he said.
In May 2018, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina announced a war on drugs after a reported rise in the sale and use of methamphetamine as well as other drugs.
Law enforcement agencies also launched a nationwide anti-drug drive in keeping with the Prime Ministers directive. The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) launched its drive on May 4 and the police on May 18.
