Different crime syndicates are active at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) under the very nose of civil aviation authorities, indicating the emergence of vicious circles that have undermined the decision-making authorities. Airport sources said, these evil gangs in league with a group of corrupt officials of police, customs, Biman and other authorities concerned are engaged in smuggling gold, foreign currencies and drugs.
They are indulged in smuggling drugs like Yaba pills, white ice and cigarettes. These officials helping the smugglers are part of the racket involved in gold and foreign currency smuggling also. Contacted, Armed Police Battalion's (APBn) Additional SP (operations and media) Alamgir Hossain told Bangladesh Post that APBn is staying in alarming position as the government declared zero tolerance against drugs.
“As a good number of drug shipment is conducted from Cox’s Bazar, while gold smuggled through international flights, we always have our close eye on those flights. On the other hand, based on our information, we always have our eye to identify the smugglers,” he added. While asking about drugs syndicate he replied, “We are always committed to break any unwanted chain that commit illegal work.” The main smugglers involved in using Bangladesh as a transit route for smuggling gold, foreign currencies, drugs and cigarettes through the HSIA remain untouched.
Since long gold is being smuggled into Bangladesh from various countries whereas foreign currencies like US dollars, Pounds, Euros and Saudi Riyal are being smuggled out. According to the HSIA Armed Police Battalion, customs officials seized 580 kg gold from the different airlines, including Biman Bangladesh Airlines aircraft, between July 2010 and July 2019.
Moreover, huge quantities of cigarettes, heroin, Yaba and white ice have also been seized. And police arrested over 7000 persons on charge of various crimes during the period. The HSIA officials also seized one lakh thirty thousand pieces of Yaba from the airport between July 2018 and July 2019 and arrested over eighty persons in this connection.
It is alleged that a number of employees of CAAB responsible for airport security are involved in illegal foreign currency business and gold, drugs and cigarette smuggling. Some of them were arrested on different occasions but later released due to pressure from the CAAB union. These CAAB employees - mostly cleaners, conveyer belt operators and security guards - are known as ‘carriers’ in the smuggling racket. They have links with high officials for smuggling of contraband items, sources at the airport said.
According to officials of CAAB and Biman, the traffickers get protection and patronage of the crime syndicates who have an unholy alliance with a group of corrupt officials of police, customs, Biman and CAAB. They said from time to time, the customs recover smuggled gold, currencies and other valuable goods and arrest some people but the real smugglers always remain behind the scenes. But most of smugglers escape punishment for lack of convincing evidence.
Some of them are, of course, in jails but lack of evidence may facilitate their release from jail sooner or later. In the last few years, the customs had seized gold ornaments and bars and arrested over a dozen smugglers. Sources said a section of unscrupulous officials of four departments - police, CAAB, Biman and customs – manipulate the cases of smuggling in such a way that sufficient evidence cannot be found against the smugglers.
Interestingly, the gold smugglers are arrested on the basis of strong evidence. But the evidence is mostly tampered with, enabling the smugglers to evade punishment and to continue their illegal trade with impunity. Citizens’ loss of confidence in the concerned government machineries is due to the perception that problem-solving decisions are distant and difficult to influence, experts say.
