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Amirul Islam: A flood of Yaba and Ice is crossing the borders, with 8.2 million drug users; a severe social crisis is expanding, engulfing the youth. From cities to villages, borders to educational institutions—drugs are spreading like an invisible net across Bangladesh. While Yaba, cannabis, and heroin are prevalent in some areas, crystal meth or ‘Ice,’ LSD, and new types of synthetic drugs are spreading in high-society parties. Despite almost daily raids by law enforcement, confiscation of huge quantities of drugs, and the enactment of strict laws, this aggression shows no sign of stopping. Rather, the events of the first eight months of 2026 indicate that drugs are no longer just a crime problem; they have transformed into a profound public health, social, economic, and national security crisis for Bangladesh.
A national-level study published at the beginning of this year revealed a horrifying picture of the drug situation in the country. According to the research, approximately 8.2 million people in Bangladesh use one or more illicit drugs, accounting for about 4.88 percent of the total population. A large portion of them are young. Thirty-three percent of users first took drugs between the ages of 8 and 17, and 59 percent between 18 and 25. This means that the majority of people falling into the drug trap are under 25 years old.
The study also found that an estimated 6.1 million people use cannabis, 2.3 million use Yaba or methamphetamine, and approximately 2 million use alcohol. Around 39,000 people inject drugs, facing a higher risk of contracting infectious diseases like HIV and hepatitis. About 90 percent of users reported that drugs are easily available in their areas, yet only 13 percent received treatment or rehabilitation services.
Behind these statistics lie countless broken families, dropouts, young people losing productivity, and a population turning to crime. Allegations of theft, mugging, domestic violence, and other offenses to acquire money for drugs are regularly coming to light. Many families conceal the addiction of a member out of fear of social stigma, causing addiction to reach a severe stage before treatment even begins.
The majority of drugs in Bangladesh are not produced domestically but originate from neighboring countries. Reports, citing information from the Department of Narcotics Control, state that Yaba, Ice, heroin, Phensedyl, cannabis, Tapentadol, and other narcotics enter the country through at least 162 routes across 29 border districts. Yaba and Ice enter through the Myanmar border in the southeast, while Phensedyl, heroin, and various banned medicines come through the western and northern borders.
Especially, the Teknaf-Ukhia region of Cox’s Bazar, the Naf River, and coastal routes bordering the Bay of Bengal have become primary entry points for drug trafficking. Information has also emerged about a new ‘narco-currency’ system developing in Myanmar’s conflict-ridden Rakhine state, where Yaba and crystal meth are exchanged for food, fuel, and construction materials. Fishing boats and small trawlers transport goods from Bangladesh and, on their return, smuggle drugs hidden in fish, ice, and secret compartments of the boats.
On July 23, BGB seized 110,000 Yaba tablets during an operation on the Naf River. Two suspected traffickers were arrested along with the consignment, valued at approximately BDT 3.3 crore. According to BGB, the boat had entered Bangladeshi waters directly from Myanmar.
This is not an isolated incident. In January alone, BGB conducted operations in border areas across the country, seizing over 1.232 million Yaba, nearly two tons of cannabis, heroin, Phensedyl, foreign liquor, and various narcotic tablets and injections. During that month, 172 individuals were apprehended on charges related to drug trafficking and smuggling.
In February, the situation became even more alarming. BGB seized over 1.7 million Yaba, 1.244 kg of crystal meth or Ice, over 2 kg of heroin, 250 grams of cocaine, nearly one thousand tons of cannabis, and large quantities of Phensedyl, foreign liquor, and banned tablets in a single month. These operations led to the arrest of 141 individuals on charges of drug trafficking and smuggling.
The previous year’s figures were similarly dire. According to BGB data, in 2025 (likely a typo, perhaps 2024), border operations led to the seizure of over 147 million Yaba tablets, along with significant quantities of Ice, heroin, cocaine, LSD, cannabis, Phensedyl, and other drugs. A total of 2,334 individuals were arrested for involvement in drug and smuggling activities. The continued supply in 2026, despite such massive seizures, indicates that the intercepted consignments likely represent only a fraction of the total trafficking.
In late July, BGB destroyed drugs worth BDT 83.78 crore, seized over the past three years at the Cumilla and Satkhira borders. The destroyed narcotics included Yaba, heroin, Phensedyl, LSD, and 2.4 kg of crystal meth. As old drugs are destroyed, new consignments arrive across the border—this cycle has become the biggest challenge to Bangladesh’s anti-drug operations.
The regional situation is also a concern for Bangladesh. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reports that the production and trafficking of synthetic drugs in Southeast Asia have reached record levels. Myanmar has long been a major hub for methamphetamine production, and the conflict and weak border control there have further activated international criminal networks. More potent and harmful crystal meth is now entering Bangladesh through the old Yaba trafficking routes.
Myanmar authorities claimed to have discovered some of the largest drug production centers in the country’s history during operations in northern Myanmar in January 2026. Extensive equipment and ingredients for making heroin, methamphetamine, and crystal meth were found there. Myanmar officials stated that drug trafficking routes from that region lead to Bangladesh and other neighboring countries.
The types of drugs are also rapidly changing. While cannabis, heroin, and Phensedyl were once more common, currently Yaba, along with Ice, LSD, Ketamine, Tapentadol, sleeping pills, and various chemically mixed drugs, are spreading. Complaints of ordering and delivering drugs through social media, encrypted messaging apps, online groups, and courier services have also increased.
In this context, an amendment to the Narcotics Control Act was passed in the national parliament in July. The new law imposes the death penalty as the maximum punishment for online drug buying, selling, supply, or related offenses. Provisions have also been made for the swift disposal of cases through special tribunals.
However, experts have questioned whether strict penalties alone can eradicate drugs. The country has over six lakh drug-related cases, and many cases are taking 10 to 15 years to be resolved. Experts allege that while drug users, carriers, and small-scale retailers are caught in most operations, the financiers, godfathers, key border coordinators, and their political and administrative patrons remain untouched. Without investigating financial flows, illegal assets, and trafficking networks, it will be difficult to uproot the core of the drug problem, even with swift trials.
The tendency to view drug addiction solely as a crime also complicates the situation. Research has shown that unemployment, peer pressure, family instability, mental stress, financial insecurity, and despair push young people towards drugs. Sixty-eight percent of users have experienced discrimination and humiliation in their families and society. Yet, they identify rehabilitation, counseling, and employment support as primary needs for overcoming addiction.
The government has undertaken initiatives to upgrade Dhaka’s central drug addiction treatment center to 250 beds and build 200-bed treatment and rehabilitation centers in seven divisional cities at a cost of approximately BDT 1,413 crore. However, government and private treatment systems are still inadequate for 8.2 million users. Especially in district and upazila levels, trained psychiatrists, counselors, detoxification facilities, and long-term rehabilitation opportunities are limited.
While law enforcement operations are necessary, efforts to curb supply alone are unlikely to succeed in the long term without reducing demand. Family awareness, regular counseling in educational institutions, mental health services for students, sports and cultural activities, employment opportunities, and accessible treatment must be ensured. Concurrently, it is crucial to confiscate the assets of drug financiers and godfathers, investigate money laundering, enhance technology-driven border surveillance, and strengthen coordinated intelligence operations among law enforcement agencies.
Bangladesh’s drug situation has reached a point where each seized consignment, while a success, simultaneously serves as evidence of a massive influx of drugs across the border. When 8.2 million people use drugs despite the seizure of millions of Yaba tablets, the destruction of hundreds of crores worth of drugs, and the arrest of thousands, it becomes clear that the problem is not limited to a few traffickers or a few border routes.
Drugs are simultaneously engulfing Bangladesh’s public health, families, education, economy, and security. To save the country from this terrifying addiction, isolated operations are not enough; a coordinated battle by the state, families, educational institutions, media, and society is needed. Otherwise, the nation’s most valuable asset—its youth—could be lost in the darkness of addiction.