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Published : 08 Jan 2026, 08:46 PM
The Department of Narcotics Control (DNC) has uncovered a major adulterated liquor operation in Bashundhara and a temperature-controlled kush cultivation lab in Wari.
Five people have been arrested in connection with the two separate raids, which also yielded chemicals, liquor, kush plants, and cultivation equipment.
The operation, coordinated across multiple locations, is part of an ongoing investigation into local and internationally linked narcotics networks.
The agency’s Director (Operations) Md Bashir Ahmed shared this development at a press briefing at the head office of the DNC on Thursday.
He also shared information about the cultivation of the drug kush, saying: “A lab for cultivating kush was found in a house in Wari, which was temperature-controlled from abroad.”
On Wednesday, a drive was conducted at a flat in the Bashundhara Residential Area under Bhatara Police Station under the leadership of Dhaka Divisional Detective Office Deputy Director Mehedi Hasan and Assistant Director Moshtak Ahmed.
“From there, a large amount of illegal liquor, including complete infrastructure, equipment, and chemicals for making adulterated liquor, was recovered, and two people named Ripon Hubert Gomez, 48, and Abdur Razzak, 40, were arrested.”
Mehedi said, “The gang used different foreign liquors illegally collected from India and ‘tuned’ them.
“They mixed chemicals and liquids to change the colour, smell, and volume of the liquor and bottled it in a new way, marketing it as high-priced foreign liquor.”
Based on information provided by the arrestees, another raid was conducted at a house in Joarsahara, where evidence related to the storage and supply of liquor was recovered, and a person named Dennis Dominic Piris, 37, was arrested.
The briefing shared the recovery of 79 bottles of foreign liquor, 166 cans of beer, and 132 litres of different chemicals used to make adulterated liquor.
Mehedi said a probe is under way to find out whether anyone else is involved in this gang and where the adulterated liquor was supplied.
KUSH LAB
At the briefing, Bashir said that during an attempt to smuggle yaba out of the country, a raid was conducted on a courier service office in Tongi, Gazipur, under the intelligence surveillance of the department on Jan 3.
Several yaba pills were found inside a “suspicious parcel” there.
“Based on this information, a woman was identified through CCTV footage analysis. A subsequent raid was conducted in Dhaka’s Khilgaon, where a woman named Sumehra Tasnia, alias Tasnia Hasan, 20, was arrested.
“She told departmental officers that she was sending yaba pills abroad through the courier service for her friend Tousif Hasan, 22, who is currently overseas.”
Following extensive questioning, it was learnt that kush was being cultivated at Tousif’s house in Wari.
Another raid was conducted there, and the house caretaker Raju Sheikh, 39, was arrested.
“It is alleged that this Raju Sheikh had been helping in the collection and supply of drugs.”
Later, from that flat, a kush plant cultivated and germinated in a special method, cultivation equipment, 20g of freshly harvested Kush, seeds, cannabinoid resin, 150g of lead and lead consumption equipment, different brands of foreign liquor, 42 pieces of yaba pills, and artificial light, temperature, and humidity control equipment were seized.
The briefing said Tousif moved to the United States for higher studies and later settled there permanently.
“Even after leaving the country, his connection with Dhaka remained intact, and he exploited this to build a covert network for drug production and storage centred on his home. Tasnia assisted him in this work.”
Bashir said that despite being abroad, Tousif supervised the drug production activities using internet-based remote control technology.
“Kush plants were being grown in multiple tubs inside a temperature-controlled special room constructed with tin and foil paper on the rooftop of the house.
“His associates were involved in the local storage, care, and transportation of the drugs.”
A case has been filed at Tongi West Police Station under the Narcotics Control Act, 2018.
Bashir added that the recovered evidence has been sent for chemical testing and that investigations are ongoing to bring back the key suspect from abroad and to determine whether others are involved in the gang.
