Homeless Rohingya refugees falling into drug trap: Report

The hapless, homeless Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh have another challenge at hand, protecting themselves from a drug trap. An exclusive DNA report brings to light how the poor and traumatised ethnic minority is fast falling prey to drug mafia.

Several Rohingya families were enlisted by the international drug mafia as they fled from Myanmar into the neighbouring nation. For many Rohingyas, agreeing to carry drugs can aptly be described as a desperate move to get out of Myanmar.

Rashid Alam sneaked into Bangladesh in September 2017 and was living at a refugee camp at Teknaf, Cox Bazar. In December, he was caught with 3,5000 Yaba tablets. He told the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) that he fell into the hands of touts who promised to bring his family and relatives safely out of Myanmar and provide them with a job in Bangladesh.

30-year-old Alam hails from of Dongkhali, and like many belonging to the ethnic group, he harbours hope of meeting his family someday.

The report suggests many women, men and teenagers have become drug mules for the international drug mafia. It is easy to lure them as they live in despicable conditions in refugees camps spread across Cox Bazar. All they have to do is carry the 'madness drug' over the border to India or distribute it within Bangladesh.

Over 11.5 lakh Rohingyas are estimated to live in Bangladesh, close to the Myanmar border. While a new settlement is built almost every day to accommodate them, a fresh group of refugees pour in from Myanmar almost every day.

The huts, spread over kilometres, are concentrated at two major camps at Kutupalong and Balukhali. Nearly four to five people share a hut which has room for just one person. The refugees take turns to sleep.

The food and other essential aid provided to the refugees from various NGOs and the United Nations High Commissioner is barely adequate for the swelling numbers.

In such a situation, the refugees become an easy prey and fall for the touts luring them with a promise of sending them to their motherland or securing employment in other countries.

"The smuggling of Yaba tablets has increased manifold since last year," Colonel Gazi Md Ahsanuzzaman, acting regional commander of south-east region of BGB told DNA.

"Yaba pills worth Taka 1.25 crore are smuggled per day in Bangladesh earlier it was limited to few lakhs," said Ahsanuzzaman.

The tablets are smuggled from the no-man's land near Gumdhum village in Bangladesh, where the border is plain and porous, and from there to Teknaf.

Last month, BGB seized yaba tablets worth Taka 52 crore from a Rohingya woman. "They carry it in their shoes. Now everybody is suspicious of the Rohingyas. The basic instinct of a person is to work. we cannot keep them idle," said Brigadier General SM Rakibullah, regional director of BGB (Cox Bazar).

In Rakibullah's words, there seems to be no permanent solution to this humanitarian crisis. "They cannot be contained for long. There will be a spill-over, and more will be recruited by the drug mafia," he noted.

As many as 1,49,99,570 Yaba tablets were seized last year. This year 52,97,234 tablets have already been seized till March. Each tablet costs between 450-500 taka.