Coast Guard seizes fertiliser, energy drinks worth Tk8 lakh in Cox’s Bazar; detains 6

Bangladesh Coast Guard has detained six smugglers and seized 291 sacks of urea fertiliser and 9,072 cans of Royal Tiger energy drinks — worth approximately Tk781,410 — while they were being illegally trafficked to Myanmar's Rakhine State.

Lt Commander Harun-ur-Rashid, media officer of the Coast Guard, confirmed the incident today (14 June).

Acting on a tip-off, a special operation was carried out by Coast Guard's Cox's Bazar station at 1:00pm yesterday (13 May) at the sea near Nazirartek.

During the operation, a suspicious engine-run wooden boat was signalled to stop. However, upon noticing the presence of the Coast Guard, the boat attempted to flee toward deeper waters, ignoring the signal, Harun said.

Following an hour-long chase, the Coast Guard intercepted the boat and conducted a search, which led to the recovery of 291 sacks of urea fertiliser and 9,072 cans of Royal Tiger energy drinks, which were being smuggled out to Rakhine state in Myanmar without paying customs duties, Harun added.

During this time, Coast Guard officials detained six individuals involved in the smuggling attempt, all of whom are residents of Maheshkhali in Cox's Bazar.

The seized goods are in the process of being handed over to Cox's Bazar Customs, while the detained individuals and the boat used in the smuggling attempt are being transferred to Cox's Bazar Model Police Station for further legal action.

Harun further said the Bangladesh Coast Guard maintains round-the-clock patrols to ensure national security and law and order in coastal and riverine areas.

Anti-smuggling operations will continue in the future to further curb illegal activities, he said.