How a yaba raid led to the first seizure of 'black cocaine' in Bangladesh

Near the end of last year, the Department of Narcotics Control (DNC) raided the house of Abu Bakkar alias Rubel in Bhulbaria village after his name came up as a drug dealer in a yaba investigation.

The law enforcers failed to catch him but ended up seizing 15 grams of ice, 12 grams of powdered yaba, one gram of cocaine, and 44 pieces of an unknown substance, each one-inch in length, that resembled the graphite used as pencil lead.

The law enforcers failed to catch him but ended up seizing 15 grams of ice, 12 grams of powdered yaba, one gram of cocaine, and 44 pieces of an unknown substance, each one-inch in length, that resembled the graphite used as pencil lead. Photo: TBS

Following weeks-long forensic tests, researchers this Wednesday (31 January) identified the substances, weighing 7 grams in total, as "black cocaine", said Dulal Krishna Saha Chief Chemical Examiner of the Central chemical laboratory of the DNC. 

First for Bangladesh

While common in Mexico and North American countries, this is the first time law enforcers seized black cocaine in Bangladesh.

"Cocaine is usually consumed in powdered form. It can't be taken as a solid object. So, the traffickers make it into small pieces of charcoal-like objects which could later be smashed into powder. They do this with certain chemical substances," Shamim Hossain, deputy director of DNC Faridpur region told The Business Standard.

"We suspect that the drug was brought to Bangladesh in this form to dodge the law enforcement agencies," Shamim, who led the operation to Rubel's house in Faridpur, said.

He said two tonnes of black cocaine were seized in Mexico a couple of months ago. They did not expect this new form of cocaine to enter Bangladesh so soon.

"However, we're on high alert to nab the person from whose house the new drug was seized. Once we arrest him, we would be able to glean the details of the route and prospects of the drug," he said.

What is "black cocaine"?

According to a CNBCTV18 report black cocaine is a mixture of regular cocaine, which is white in colour, and other chemicals which turn it into black colour to help disguise the drug from law enforcers.

Chemicals such as activated carbon are added to the drug to neutralise the smell of cocaine and camouflage it into the typical appearance of charcoal. This helps the drug bypass colour-based drug tests and drug-sniffing dogs as activated carbon absorbs trace odours.

Black cocaine is often disguised as asphalt, printer toner, charcoal, or fertiliser to make it easier to smuggle.

According to media reports, black cocaine was invented in the mid-1980s by the army of the Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet. The dictator allegedly ordered the establishment of a clandestine cocaine laboratory in Chile to produce a drug which could not be detected by law enforcement agencies and be smuggled into the United States and Europe.

New drugs, new tricks

Shamim said drug traffickers are bringing new drugs to the country from time to time using different methods.

"They are adopting tricky techniques to carry drugs. This is the first time a new drug called black cocaine has been found. We suspect that the consignment might be brought to Dhaka in any form of parcel through international courier. The same way DOB and other new drugs were brought too," he added. 

However, details about how the black cocaine was brought from which country has not been revealed.

It is also unknown how deep has the drug spread in the country and who is involved in distributing it as Rubel is currently absconding.

The DNC said efforts are underway to arrest him.

"Black cocaine has never been found in Bangladesh before. So we had no idea about it. It has been identified as a new drug in Bangladesh. Intelligence surveillance has been increased in this regard. Besides, all the units of the country will be informed about this," said DNC's Dhaka Divisional Office Additional Director Mojibur Rahman Patwari.

Surge in new drugs

Bangladesh, in recent years, has seen a surge in new drugs entering the country.

Patwari also said, "Cocaine is a potent stimulant drug. Being overly excitable, it affects the heart and comes with a high of overdosing."

On 24 and 25 January, the DNC arrested two foreigners with 8.5 kg of cocaine – the largest consignment of cocaine ever recovered in the country.

Since then, five more local and foreign people of the cocaine syndicate were arrested over the last week.

In 2019, crystal meth or ice and LSD came to the fore as new drugs in the country.

Earlier in 2018, law enforcers seized New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) or khat, a drug that resembles tea leaves.

Last September, law enforcers also found 'heroin', another potent drug, in a new  being brought to the country in a flat, square-shaped congealed form.