5,200 yaba pills seized from ‘press’ microbus at Matuail in Kadamtoli, Sohel arrested

The Department of Narcotics Control (DNC) has seized 5,200 yaba pills from a microbus marked ‘press’ in Kadamtoli in the capital. A man named Hosain Sharif alias Sohel, 45, was arrested in the incident.

He was arrested in a raid at around 6:30am on Tuesday near Messrs Khan and Chowdhury Filling Station on Matuail Mukti Sarani Polder Road under Kadamtoli Police Station.

Md Anwar Hossain, deputy director of the DNC’s Dhaka Metro (South) office, provided the information.

He said DNC members surrounded a white Noah microbus marked ‘press’ that had left Cox’s Bazar after its movements seemed suspicious. The man in the vehicle was then questioned in the presence of neutral witnesses. He gave his name as Hosain Sharif alias Sohel.

Anwar Hossain said that although the vehicle was marked ‘press’, he could not provide satisfactory information about which television he worked for. The department said a television camera, booms and other equipment were found in his vehicle, but he is not currently involved in journalism.

A search of the vehicle then recovered 4,200 yaba pills in 21 blue zippered packets from a shopping bag kept in a box beside the steering wheel.

A body search then found five more packets wrapped in Scotch tape in the right pocket of his trousers. Those packets contained another 1,000 yaba pills. In total, 5,200 yaba pills were seized from him.

Alongside the yaba, the raid seized the white Noah microbus marked ‘press’, one Panasonic video camera, two booms, two smartphones and one button phone. The DNC said one of the two seized booms was marked Asian TV and the other Sarajmin.

Anwar Hossain said the arrested man told initial questioning that he had previously been involved in journalism. Although he is not currently in journalism, initial questioning found he had been carrying out unethical activities and the drug trade using a camera, booms, visiting cards and the word ‘press’ on the vehicle.

Deputy Director Md Anwar Hossain said a regular case has been filed against Hosain Sharif alias Sohel at Kadamtoli Police Station under the relevant section of the Narcotics Control Act, 2018.

The Department of Narcotics Control said its drives continue to implement the government’s declared ‘zero tolerance’ policy against drugs.