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Authorities netted a record haul of cocaine at the Dhaka airport, raising questions about Bangladesh's place in the drug trafficking network
Published : 26 Jan 2024, 11:25 AM
The recent arrest of a Malawian woman with 8.5 kg of cocaine at Dhaka's Shahjalal International Airport has reignited speculation about Bangladesh's role as a potential transit route for drug smuggling.
Officials from the Department of Narcotics Control (DNC) assert that cocaine usage is not prevalent in Bangladesh and that Malawi, the woman's home country, is not a known producer of cocaine.
They believe this incident was an attempt to smuggle the drug to another country.
Historically, intercepted cocaine shipments in Bangladesh have originated from South America, en route to European and North American markets.
The woman, 35-year-old Nomthandazo Towera Soko, arrived in Dhaka on a Qatar Airways flight from Africa.
She was detained before she could check into a hotel in Dhaka, according to Tanveer Mumtaz of the DNC. The seizure is ostensibly the largest in Bangladesh, with the cocaine valued at around Tk 1 billion.
Coinciding with Soko's arrest, a Tanzanian named Mohammedi Ali was caught with 200 grams of cocaine in a Dhaka hotel.
Mojibur Rahman Patwari, additional director of the DNC in Dhaka, said that previous cocaine seizures in Bangladesh were primarily intended for smuggling to Europe. Investigations are ongoing to determine Soko's intended destination for the drugs.
Soko, a nurse by profession, had visited Bangladesh previously for 'business reasons'. As Malawi doesn't produce cocaine, authorities suspect a connection with smugglers in Bangladesh and are investigating potential local and foreign accomplices.
The United Nations Office on Crime and Drugs' 'Global Cocaine Report - 2023' indicates that cocaine from South America often reaches Europe and America via Africa.
From 2019 to 2022, several cocaine shipments from Brazil to Mozambique were intercepted, with the majority seized in the South American nation.
Malawi, neighbouring Mozambique, became a transit point in this smuggling chain. Soko reportedly traveled by bus to Ethiopia from Malawi and then flew to Doha before reaching Dhaka.
This unconventional travel route, as Patwari notes, is often chosen to avoid detection. A similar case involved Indian national Salomi Lalramdhari, arrested in Dhaka last year with cocaine from Morocco, intended for Delhi.
SOUTH AMERICA: THE GLOBAL PRODUCTION HUB
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime's (UNODC) 'Global Cocaine Report-2023' highlights the resilience of the cocaine trade, even amid challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Despite global travel restrictions and the closure of social venues like nightclubs and bars, which initially hampered drug trafficking and reduced demand, the production of cocaine reached a record high.
The report reveals that South America is the epicentre of the world's cocaine production, with Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia being the primary producers.
In 2020, Colombia accounted for 61 percent of global cocaine production, Peru for 26 percent, and Bolivia and nearby regions for 13 percent.
Geographically, the distribution of cocaine users is widespread. Central and South America, along with the Caribbean, account for 24 percent of global users.
North America, encompassing the United States, Canada, and neighbouring countries, constitutes 30 percent of users, while Central and Western Europe represent 21 percent.
Other regions, such as Africa, South Asia, East and South-East Asia, Eastern and Southeastern Europe, Oceania, and West and Central Asia, collectively account for the remaining percentage of global users.
The report also details the seizure statistics, with 72 percent of all confiscated cocaine being found in Central and South America and the Caribbean. North America and Western and Central Europe follow, accounting for 12 percent and 15 percent of seizures, respectively.
A notable aspect of the report is the involvement of Nigerian gangs in the global drug trafficking network. These gangs play a significant role in drug trafficking across West and North Africa and have expanded their operations worldwide, involving people of Nigerian origin.
They often smuggle drugs in passengers' luggage on flights. Brazilian data indicates that since 2018, Nigerians have been among the most arrested foreigners for drug smuggling at Brazilian airports.
FROM SOUTH AMERICA TO BANGLADESH... AND BEYOND
On Jun 11, 2013, Juan Pablo Rafael Zagaceta, a citizen of Peru, was apprehended at Hotel La Vinci in Dhaka's Karwan Bazar, carrying 3 kg of cocaine.
Mojibur Rahman Patwari, then serving as deputy director of the DNC's Dhaka Metropolitan branch, led the team that made the arrest.
Juan Pablo is currently incarcerated, and his legal case is still ongoing.
Investigations indicated that his intent was to smuggle the cocaine to Europe. It was suspected that he chose to route through Bangladesh to avoid detection on the direct South America to Europe path.
In a 'confessional statement', Juan Pablo said that he was employed as a security guard at a disco in Lima, Peru's capital. He embarked on an elaborate journey spanning four countries after accepting a proposal from a woman he met there.
He travelled by bus to Ecuador carrying the drug, flew to Panama, then Brazil, and finally reached Dhaka via Dubai, flying from São Paulo, Brazil on Emirates.
Although Juan Pablo's documents referenced a buying house, its existence remains unverified.
In a separate incident on Sept 1, 2015, Jaime Bergley Gomez, another Peruvian national, was detained at Dhaka's Shahjalal Airport with 2.3 kg of cocaine.
His arrest also led to the apprehension of two civil aviation workers.
Gomez intended to use Bangladesh as a transit point for further smuggling. He was sentenced to life imprisonment on Jan 11 of the following year, while the two aviation workers were acquitted due to lack of evidence.
Additionally, in June 2015, a significant discovery was made at Chattogram Port where liquid cocaine from Bolivia was found concealed in sunflower oil drums shipped in a container.
Officials believe that the cocaine shipments seized in Bangladesh were intended for trafficking into European or American markets.
However, they have faced a myriad of challenges in gathering conclusive evidence in these cases, leaving the local facilitators unidentified.
In a notable international incident on Dec 15, 2018, Surjo Moni, a Bangladeshi woman, was arrested in Sri Lanka with over 32 kg of heroin.
Following her arrest, Sri Lankan police apprehended two Bangladeshis, Dewan Rafiul Islam Hero and Jamal Uddin, seizing 270 kg of heroin and around 5.3 kg of cocaine.
The event triggered a major investigation in Bangladesh, led by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Dhaka.
CID's inquiry brought to light the involvement of Choice Rahman, a buying house businessman.
Surjo Moni, apprehended in Sri Lanka, was employed at Rahman's buying house for a monthly salary of Tk 15,000.
Rahman was subsequently arrested in Bangladesh in connection with this case.
After an 11-month investigation, in November 2019, the CID filed charges in court against 14 individuals, including Surjo Moni and Choice Rahman, in connection with the narcotics smuggling operation.
The case further illustrated the international dimensions of drug trafficking and the involvement of Bangladeshi nationals in these complex networks.
