Teknaf, Aug 1 (V7N) — In a major anti-narcotics operation, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB-15) seized 2 lakh piece yaba tablets from a wooden fishing boat off the coast of Teknaf’s Sabrang area. Four individuals were arrested, while one suspect managed to flee the scene.
 
The detainees were identified as Mohammad Farid Alam (42), son of the late Abdu Razzak; Nurul Absar (21), son of Firoz Ahmed; Md. Shawkat Alam (19), son of Abdus Salam; and Md. Akil (18), son of Nur Hossain—all residents of Noyapara in Sabrang Union under Teknaf upazila.
 
Assistant Superintendent of Police A.M. Faruk, the Media Officer of RAB-15 in Cox’s Bazar, confirmed the operation and arrests. He stated that the raid was conducted based on intelligence gathered through ongoing surveillance and anti-narcotics efforts.
 
According to RAB-15, a credible tip-off indicated that drug traffickers were preparing to transport a large shipment of yaba tablets from the Munder Deil ghat area in Ward No. 1 of Sabrang Union using an engine-run wooden fishing boat.
 
Acting on the information, a team from RAB-15 CPC-1, stationed at the Teknaf camp, launched a raid in the early hours of Thursday, July 31. During the operation, the team searched a wooden fishing boat owned by a fugitive named Abdul Gafur and recovered 2 lakh piece yaba tablets, a fishing net valued at approximately Tk 1 lakh, and a basic button phone.
 
Despite the arrests, one suspect—Abdul Gafur (35)—managed to escape during the raid. RAB officials confirmed that legal proceedings against the detainees are currently underway.
 
The operation underscores the ongoing challenge of maritime drug trafficking along Bangladesh’s southeastern coast, particularly through Teknaf, a region long known as a hotspot for yaba smuggling from Myanmar.
 
Law enforcement agencies continue to intensify crackdowns in the area as part of a broader national strategy to combat narcotics trafficking and organized crime.
 
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