BGB seizes smuggled goods worth Tk202.63 Crore

Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) seized smuggled goods worth more than Tk202.63 crore during operations across the country's border regions and other areas in July.

The seized items included gold, diamonds, arms, ammunition, narcotics, vehicles, medicines, clothing, cosmetics and other contraband, according to a press release. BGB recovered 4.254kg of gold, 216 diamond nose pins, 7.930kg of silver, 13,063 saris, 2,710 three-piece suits, shirt pieces, shawls and blankets, 8,886 readymade garments and 2,416 metres of unstitched fabric, according to a press release.

Other seized items included 15,527 pieces of imitation jewellery, 302,394 cosmetic products, 864,356 firecrackers, 1,751 cubic feet of timber, 221,090kg of coal and 6,446kg of tea leaves. The force also recovered 624 mobile phones, 4,360 mobile phone displays, 36,170 mobile phone accessories, 20,000 pieces of medical equipment, 71,400 Gillette razor blades and 3,700 spectacles. Food and agricultural products seized during the operations included 47,776kg of cumin, 42,931kg of garlic, 13,329kg of sugar, 12,486kg of fertiliser, 17,479kg of current nets and 367 litres of edible oil, diesel, octane, petrol and lubricants.

BGB personnel also recovered 1,818 packets of pesticides, 694,017 pieces of various medicines, 1.070kg of snake venom and nine touchstones and sandstones. The seized vehicles and vessels included 12 trucks and covered vans, eight pick-up vans, three private cars, six trolleys, 55 CNG-run auto-rickshaws, easy-bikes and auto-rickshaws, 59 motorcycles, 47 bicycles and vans, and 127 boats.

The recovered arms and ammunition comprised nine locally made and foreign pistols, one rifle, five magazines, 60 rounds of ammunition and seven other weapons. BGB also seized a large quantity of narcotics and intoxicants during the month, including 2,110,258 Yaba tablets, 2kg of crystal methamphetamine, locally known as ice, 71 grams of heroin and 1,243 bottles of Phensedyl.

Other seizures included 6,526 bottles of foreign liquor, 1,639.5 litres of locally produced liquor, 754 cans of beer, 1,806kg of cannabis, and 258,386 intoxicating tablets and injections. The force also recovered 16,580 bottles of various intoxicating syrups, 18,682 pieces of different medicines and tablets, and 119,141 packets of bidi and cigarettes.

BGB detained 191 suspected smugglers over the trafficking of Yaba, other narcotics and various contraband goods during its operations. It also detained 31 Bangladeshi nationals, three Indian nationals and 81 Myanmar nationals for allegedly crossing the border illegally. Legal action was taken against those detained.