Gold smuggling
Bangladesh is apparently in serious danger of becoming a hub of gold smuggling. Every now and then we see media reports of gold smugglers being arrested in the countrys two international airports. Gold seizures in the airports have become a daily affair. Just a couple of days back eight gold bars weighing almost 800 grams were recovered from a passengers stomach at Hazrat Shahjalal Airport.
It is safe to say that gold being seized at the airport is likely only the tip of the iceberg, with most of the contraband metal being smuggled in the country. Authorities estimate that efforts to apprehend gold smugglers are only successful in recovering 10 to 20 per cent of the actual volume of gold that is smuggled every year into or through Bangladesh. It is believed that most of it is then smuggled to India through land routes.
There simply is no way that the carriers are the sole operators in the series of gold smuggling incidents. The carriers are recruited by other powerful quarters in exchange of some money. One of the reasons that gold is coming into Bangladesh through illegal means is because of the huge duty. The demand of gold is very high and the premiums are also high. It is an open secret that Bangladeshi jewellers depend heavily on smuggled gold. They claim that importing gold through legal channels is too expensive and cumbersome for them.
Gold smuggling syndicates are a major security issue because they directly involve airline workers, airport, and security officials. The security risks posed by smuggling syndicates operating with the collusion of corrupt individuals at airports make it an urgent priority to root out their activities. The cancer of corruption and criminality caused by gold smuggling must be rooted with the utmost urgency. There can be no tolerance of such criminality. For security reasons alone, aviation officials and cabin crew found involved in smuggling have to be brought before the law and punished.
Intelligence sources estimate that in terms of value, gold accounts for as much as 95 per cent of all smuggled items in Bangladesh, so anything that helps to curb gold smuggling syndicates would bring major benefits. As gold is a legal product, the government should reform the legal framework to make it easier to import and export gold through legitimate channels. Much if not most of the gold that is smuggled is believed to be illegally shipped to India, so co-operation between Bangladesh and India on facilitating legal trans-shipments is essential.
