Passenger detained at Dhaka airport carrying large stash of yaba in stomach

The suspect has been intercepted following a tip-off

A passenger travelling from Cox’s Bazar to Dhaka has been detained at Shahjalal International Airport for carrying a large quantity of yaba tablets hidden inside his stomach.

According to the airport Armed Police Battalion (APBn), the suspect, Md Pannu Hawladar, 30, from Amtali Upazila in Barguna district, was held with 6,378 yaba tablets.

A case under the Narcotics Control Act was filed against him on Saturday night at the Airport Police Station, according to an APBn media statement.

The APBn said it received intelligence that Pannu was transporting yaba on a US-Bangla Airlines domestic flight (BS-142).

Based on the tip-off, he was intercepted on the road in front of the arrivals gate of the domestic terminal.

After being brought to the Airport Armed Police office for questioning, Pannu “admitted” to carrying the drugs in his stomach, the statement said.

Airport doctors examined him and confirmed through X-ray scans the presence of numerous egg-shaped objects in his stomach.

He was later taken to Kurmitola General Hospital, where doctors under supervision recovered 136 packets of yaba tablets through the digestive tract. Upon opening the packets, a total of 6,378 tablets were recovered.

The APBn claimed Pannu has been involved in drug trafficking and sales “for a long time”.

Md Mozammel Haque, operational commander of the airport APBn, said the case is shocking due to the sheer volume of drugs being smuggled in a passenger’s stomach.