The yaba problem along the Cox’s Bazar border has emerged as the biggest test for the new Home Minister, Salahuddin Ahmed. The issue is not new; its roots were sown long ago. The trafficking network for the highly dangerous drug is so complex that administrative measures or law enforcement alone have failed to curb its spread. As the district’s MP, any failure to bring the yaba trade under control will be visible not only locally but also nationally, observers believe.
Inquiries reveal that consignments of yaba enter daily through the Teknaf–Ukhiya border. Over the past two years, different agencies have seized on average more than one lakh tablets a day. Yet despite increased seizures, the drug remains readily available on the market. Locals interpret this as a sign that supply has grown, resulting in more recoveries.
Residents say Salahuddin Ahmed, as a local MP, is well aware of the weaknesses in tackling the yaba trade and who the so-called godfathers are. Expectations are therefore high, increasing pressure on the local administration.
Officials from Cox’s Bazar District Police and Teknaf Model Police Station say all agencies have been on heightened alert since he assumed office as Home Minister. New strategies are being devised, particularly regarding yaba routes, late-night river movements and suspicious activities inside the Rohingya camps.
Administrative sources say the possibility of introducing a new operational model along the Cox’s Bazar border has become a key topic of discussion. With little change achieved under long-standing methods, the ministry is considering a fully technology-driven, intelligence-based approach. Proposals under discussion include drone surveillance along vulnerable stretches of the Teknaf border and the Naf River, special mobile units on 12 main routes, increased armed presence within Rohingya camps, and a joint taskforce comprising the CID, the Department of Narcotics Control (DNC) and the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) to investigate yaba cases.
Anti-narcotics experts argue that, given past failures, a change in strategy is essential. Otherwise, the same networks will only grow stronger. They say that beyond the broader law and order situation nationwide, the drug crisis in Cox’s Bazar poses the toughest challenge for the new Home Minister. His first three to six months in office will indicate how capable he is of dismantling the long-entrenched “drug empire”.
Somen Mondal, Deputy Director of the DNC in Cox’s Bazar, said that between 2022 and 2025, verdicts were delivered in 144 yaba cases in the district. Of these, 103 defendants were convicted — the highest figure in recent years. In 24 cases, 30 accused were sentenced to life imprisonment.According to him, a powerful network has developed inside the Rohingya camps. Those sending yaba from Myanmar largely operate through local links managed by Rohingya groups. Secret routes within the camps, hilly tracks under cover of darkness and river transport have all facilitated trafficking.
He added that some locals are directly or indirectly involved in the network, lured by financial gain and using Rohingya groups to strengthen operations. The joint Rohingya-local network is now the district’s biggest concern.
Mondal stressed the urgent need for more drug detection dogs. “Previously, river routes and mountain passes were the key channels. Now traffickers are also using land routes and even the new railway line. Since rail services began in Cox’s Bazar, we have found evidence of this route being used for yaba transport,” he said.
Highlighting shortcomings in detection systems, he noted that more drug detection dogs are essential to intercept large consignments. “Dog squads are highly effective in quickly identifying narcotics in bags, cargo and on trains.” At present, only a limited number are in use, which is insufficient. With adequate detection dogs, modern scanners and strong intelligence networks, breaking the yaba supply chain would be far easier.
Cox’s Bazar Superintendent of Police (SP) ANM Sajedur Rahman said law enforcement alone cannot control the narcotics trade. “Unless social and economic realities change, no amount of border operations will bring lasting results.”
He noted that around 2.8 million people in Ukhiya, Teknaf and Cox’s Bazar town face direct or indirect financial hardship. The yaba network easily targets the unemployed, and the pressure to support families pushes many towards risky paths. For some, yaba offers a “quick route” to cash. Preventing this requires alternative opportunities.
He added that not only organised groups but also family-based involvement in the yaba trade is increasing. If even one family member is unemployed, they may succumb to temptation. Ensuring families’ financial stability would weaken the foundations of the yaba network.
Police, RAB and BGB are all conducting operations, he said, but these are not a final solution. Without securing employment for local people, the cycle cannot be broken. “If a young man can earn Tk800–1,000 a day, he will never risk his life in a yaba network for Tk10,000–15,000,” he said.
He concluded that providing employment opportunities for young people would, on its own, cause the yaba trafficking network to collapse.
