The Department of Narcotics Control officials cite the technological shortcomings, manpower crisis and legal barriers for their failure to track the yaba smugglers down.
Only the Rohingya carriers, not the people who were sending or receiving the hauls, are being charged because the law enforcers fail to identify the main perpetrators, Shamim Ahmed, a deputy director at DNC’s Chattrogram Metropolitan sub-region, told bdnews24.com.
Over 100 top yaba traders surrendered to police in Cox’s Bazar function earlier this year.
The others still involved in the trade were warned of “dire consequences” but the menace is far from over.
The Rohingyas, displaced from Myanmar’s Rakhine state and currently staying in Cox’s Bazar refugee camps, are being used as carriers.
Some 50 Rohingyas, including four women, were arrested on charges of carrying a total of 136,000 yaba pills in different drives until Mar 20 from Aug 30, 2017 after the Myanmar Army launched a crackdown on the ethnic minority triggering the exodus of over 1 million.
“We could not find any number on their mobile phones and the arrestees don’t reveal any number either. We can’t even see their call records due to technological limitations,” DNC’s Shamim said.
It is also difficult to squeeze information out of the arrested Rohingyas “because they are mentally very strong”, he said.
Besides the technological disadvantage, DNC officials said they lack staff to investigate cases within a 45-day deadline set by the High Court.