Bangladesh drug war

Crackdown in 2018

This article needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (August 2024)

|

Bangladesh drug war

| Date| 2018-present

|

Location|

Bangladesh

Status|  Ongoing
Belligerents

Bangladesh

* Bangladesh Police
* Rapid Action Battalion

|  Drug dealers|

Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami

* * *

Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh
Commanders and leaders

* Mohammed Shahabuddin
* Muhammad Yunus
* Jahangir Alam Chowdhury

* * *

* SM Kamrul Hassan
* Waker-uz-Zaman
* Mohammad Nazmul Hassan
* Hasan Mahmood Khan
* Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman Siddiqui
* Md. Moinul Islam

Former:

* Mohammad Abdul Hamid
* Sheikh Hasina
* Asaduzzaman Khan

* * *

* Akhtar Hossain Bhuiyan
* Abdullah al Mohsin Chowdhury
* Md Abu Hena Mostafa Kamal

* * *

* Aziz Ahmed
* SM Shafiuddin Ahmed

* * *

* Mohammad Nizamuddin Ahmed
* Aurangzeb Chowdhury
* M Shaheen Iqbal

* * *

* Masihuzzaman Serniabat
* Shaikh Abdul Hannan

* * *

* Md Shafeenul Islam
* Shakil Ahmed
* A K M Nazmul Hasan

* * *

* Mohammad Javed Patwary
* Benazir Ahmed
* Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun

|  Kamrul Islam  †
Akramul Haque  †
Riazul Islam  †|  Shah Sahib
Strength
12000[1]
Casualties and losses
800+ deaths[citation needed]

The Bangladesh drug war or Bangladesh's war on drugs is an ongoing campaign against alleged drug dealers and users by the government of Bangladesh under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The extrajudicial killings of alleged drug dealers by the elite anti-crime unit Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and the police have been criticized by human rights groups and foreign diplomats.[2][3]

## Background

[edit]

See also: Methamphetamine in Bangladesh

Bangladesh has an unknown number of drug addicts, with estimates ranging from 100,000 to 4 million.[4] Since 2015, the Bangladesh government has focused on eradicating a cheap methamphetamine tablet known as yaba, and police have made significant pill seizures during that time.[5] According to a 2016 Bangladeshi official estimate, more than 29 million yaba tablets were confiscated in 2016, up from 1.3 million in 2011.[6] There are allegations that a number of the larger dealers are linked to the ruling Awami League party,[7] and affiliated groups like Jubo League, and Swechasebok League.[8]

## Events

[edit]

Bangladesh started a major yaba crackdown in mid-May, 2018 in response to a surging trade of the drug. Fifty-two accused drug dealers were confirmed killed in the first 10 days of the operation.[2] According to a Bangladesh Police spokesperson, about 15,000 people were arrested in nationwide raids in the first three weeks of the operation.[6] 22,000 people were arrested from mid-May 2018 to July 2018 as a result of alleged involvement in the drug trade.[9] According to Odhikar, a Dhaka-based human rights group, 211 drug suspects were killed from mid-May 2018 to July 2018, more than a third of whom were arrested first.[5] Most of the killings followed a common script: alleged drug dealers died in "gunfights", usually at night, with weapons and drugs discovered near the deceased drug dealers.[10]

Some of the notable incidents of killing are:

* Kamrul Islam, 35, who was accused of 15 cases, including drug possession and illegal possession of firearms. Whilst he was never convicted, he was gunned down on 25 May 2018. His wife claimed that Islam had quit drug dealing after their first daughter was born, 10 years ago.[6]
* Akramul Haque was shot dead by Bangladesh's Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), who claimed Haque was a drug dealer. Haque's wife released an unverified 15-minute phone call recording that captured the last moments of her husband's life on 27 May 2018, in Cox's Bazar.[6]
* Riazul Islam was arrested by Bangladesh Police as he was walking home from his in-laws' house. Later, he was shot dead while two officers were wounded according to Bangladesh Police. The hospital record showed that a single bullet entered Islam's head near his left ear and exited near his right, while each of the two police officers were treated for small areas of tenderness and swelling on one of their hands.[10]

## Controversy

[edit]

See also: Crossfire (Bangladesh)

According to The Daily Telegraph, there are allegations that the campaign is a "cover for a wave of extrajudicial killings and political intimidation ahead of a general election later this year".[11] In a cited incident, Habibur Rahman, an activist for the opposition party, was killed in an alleged shootout. His family said that he had been arrested at a mosque and had never used drugs.[11] The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, the European Union, Human Rights Watch, Marcia Bernicat, and the US ambassador to Bangladesh all expressed concern over the number of people killed.[12][5][6]

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina denied that any innocent people were being harassed and Asaduzzaman Khan, the Minister of Home Affairs, dismissed any allegation of extrajudicial killing.[12] One police officer in charge of an operation that ended with the killing of an alleged drug dealer said drug use led to crime and claimed that arresting drug dealers did not help.[5]

> "They come out on bail and they do the same thing, selling and using drugs," he said. "Every drug dealer should be killed. Then drugs can be controlled."

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan denied allegations that the police were executing suspects without taking them through the judicial process. "Our law enforcement people don't execute anyone. If they do so, they will going against ethics, and will be fired if investigations prove they acted outside the law. This is not a lawless country," he told Reuters.[5]

There have been strong allegations that no actions have been taken against ruling party MP, Abdur Rahman Badi and associate despite reports from five state agencies that mentioned him as patron of the drug trade.[13]

## See also

[edit]

* Mexican drug war
* Philippine drug war

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "DMP: SWAT team will root out militancy and terrorism". Dhaka Tribune. 2016-11-06. Retrieved 2022-06-23.
2. ^ a b Safi, Michael; Rahman, Shaikh Azizur (2018-05-25). "Bangladesh's Philippines-style drugs war creating 'atmosphere of terror'". The Guardian. Retrieved 2018-08-14.
3. ^ "Over 100 killed in 'war on drugs' in Bangladesh". The Times of India. 2018-05-29. Retrieved 2018-08-14.
4. ^ Kulsudjarit, Kongpetch (October 2004). "Drug Problem in Southeast and Southwest Asia". Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 1025 (1): 446–457. Bibcode:2004NYASA1025..446K. doi:10.1196/annals.1316.055. ISSN 0077-8923. PMID 15542748. S2CID 46691234.
5. ^ a b c d e "New frontline in Asia's crackdown on drugs". Reuters. 2018-08-13. Retrieved 2018-08-14.
6. ^ a b c d e Swati Gupta; Sugam Pokharel (2018-06-08). "Bangladesh defends war on drugs as body count mounts". CNN. Retrieved 2018-08-14.
7. ^ "Bangladesh launches 'Philippine-style' war on drugs". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 2018-08-14.
8. ^ "Where does Bangladesh's war on drugs go from here?". Dhaka Tribune. 2018-05-24. Retrieved 2018-08-14.
9. ^ "War on drugs to continue". The Daily Star. 2018-06-26. Retrieved 2018-08-14.
10. ^ a b Baldwin, Clare (2018-08-12). "Arrested and killed: inside the Bangladesh prime minister's war on drugs". Reuters. Retrieved 2018-08-14.
11. ^ a b Farmer, Ben; Savage, Susannah; Smith, Nicola (1 June 2018). "Bangladesh accused of using drugs war to hide political assassinations". The Telegraph. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
12. ^ a b Farmer, Ben; Savage, Susannah; Smith, Nicola (2018-06-01). "Bangladesh accused of using drugs war to hide political assassinations". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2018-08-14.
13. ^ "AL govt unwilling to catch MP Badi despite official reports of drug trade link". Prothom Alo. Archived from the original on 2018-09-30. Retrieved 2018-09-30.

* v
* t
* e

Recreational drug use

Major recreational drugs

| Depressants|

* Barbiturates
* Benzodiazepines
* Carbamates
* Ethanol (alcohol)
* Alcoholic beverage
* Beer
* Wine
* Gabapentinoids
* GHB
* Inhalants
* Medical
* Nitrous oxide (recreational use)
* Hazardous solvents
* contact adhesives
* Gasoline
* nail polish remover
* Paint thinner
* Other
* Freon
* Kava
* Nonbenzodiazepines
* Quinazolinones

|

Opioids|

* Buprenorphine
* Suboxone
* Subutex
* Codeine
* Lean
* Desomorphine
* Krokodil
* Dextropropoxyphene
* Darvocet
* Darvon
* Fentanyl
* Diamorphine
* Heroin
* Hydrocodone
* Hydromorphone
* Dilaudid
* Methadone
* Mitragyna speciosa
* Kratom
* Morphine
* Opium
* Oxycodone
* /paracetamol
* Tramadol

Stimulants|

* Amphetamine
* Arecoline
* Areca
* Betel
* Caffeine
* Coffee
* Energy drinks
* Tea
* Cathinone
* Khat
* Cocaine
* Coca
* Crack
* Ephedrine
* Ephedra
* MDPV
* Mephedrone
* Methamphetamine
* Methylone
* Methylphenidate
* Modafinil
* Nicotine
* Tobacco
* Theobromine
* Cocoa
* Chocolate

Entactogens|

* 2C series
* 6-APB
* Benzofury
* AMT
* MDA
* MDMA
* Ecstasy
* Molly

Hallucinogens|

| Psychedelics|

* Bufotenin
* Psychoactive toads
* Vilca
* Yopo
* DMT
* Ayahuasca
* LSA
* LSD-25
* Mescaline
* Peruvian torch
* Peyote
* San Pedro
* Psilocybin / Psilocin
* Psilocybin mushrooms

|

Dissociatives|

* DXM (recreational use)
* Glaucine
* Inhalants
* Nitrous oxide (recreational use)
* alkyl nitrites
* poppers
* amyl nitrite
* Ketamine
* MXE
* Muscimol
* Amanita muscaria
* PCP
* Salvinorin A
* Salvia divinorum

Deliriants|

* Atropine and Scopolamine
* Atropa belladonna
* Datura
* Hyoscyamus niger
* Mandragora officinarum
* Dimenhydrinate
* Diphenhydramine

Cannabinoids|

* THC
* Cannabis (Marijuana)
* Hashish
* Hash oil
* Neocannabinoid / synthetic cannabinoids
* JWH-018
* APICA
* APINACA
* Spice

Oneirogens|

* Calea zacatechichi
* Silene capensis

Club drugs|

* Cocaine
* Quaaludes
* MDMA
* Ecstasy
* Molly
* Nitrous oxide (recreational use)
* Poppers

Drug culture

| Cannabis culture|

* 420
* Cannabis consumption
* Cannabis cultivation
* Cannabis edible
* Cannabis rights
* Cannabis rights leaders
* List of cannabis rights organizations
* Cannabis smoking
* Cannabis Social Club
* Cannabis tea
* Cannabis vaping
* Head shop
* Legal history of cannabis in the United States
* Legality of cannabis
* Marijuana Policy Project
* Medical cannabis
* NORML
* Cannabis and religion
* Stoner film

|

Coffee culture|

* Coffee break
* Coffeehouse
* Latte art
* Teahouse

Drinking culture|

* Bartending
* Beer culture
* Beer festival
* Binge drinking
* Diethyl ether
* Drinking games
* Drinking song
* Happy hour
* Hip flask
* Nightclub
* Oktoberfest
* Pub
* Pub crawl
* Sommelier
* Sports bar
* Tailgate party
* Wine bar
* Wine tasting

Psychedelia|

* Psychonautics
* Art
* Drug
* Era
* Experience
* Literature
* Music
* Microdosing
* Smart shop
* Therapy

Smoking culture|

* Cigarette card
* Fashion cigarettes
* Cloud-chasing
* Loosie
* Smokeasy
* Smoking fetishism
* Tobacco smoking

Other|

* Chasing the dragon
* Club drug
* Counterculture of the 1960s
* Dance party
* Drug paraphernalia
* Drug tourism
* Entheogen
* Hippie
* Needle sharing
* Nootropic
* Party and play
* Poly drug use
* Rave
* Religion and drugs
* Self-medication
* Sex and drugs
* Urban legends about drugs
* Whoonga

Legality of drug use

| International|

* International drug control conventions
* 1961 Narcotic Drugs
* 1971 Psychotropic Substances
* 1988 Drug Trafficking
* Other treaties addressing drugs
* Law of the Sea Convention
* Convention Against Doping
* Council of the European Union decisions on designer drugs

|

State level|

* Drug policy
* Decriminalization
* Legalization
* Prohibition
* Regulation
* Supply reduction
* Policy reform
* Demand reduction
* Drug Policy Alliance
* Harm reduction
* Law Enforcement Action Partnership
* Liberalization
* Latin America
* Students for Sensible Drug Policy
* Transform Drug Policy Foundation

Drug policy
by country|

* Australia
* Canada
* Czech Republic
* Germany
* India
* Netherlands
* Portugal
* Slovakia
* Soviet Union
* Sweden
* Switzerland
* United States
* Just Say No
* Office of National Drug Control Policy
* School district drug policies
* California
* Colorado
* Maryland
* Oregon
* Virginia

Drug legality|

* Alcohol legality
* Anabolic steroid legality
* Cannabis legality
* Cocaine legality
* Methamphetamine legality
* Psilocybin decriminalization in the U.S.
* Psilocybin mushrooms legality
* Salvia legality

Other|

* Arguments for and against drug prohibition
* Cannabis rights
* Capital punishment for drug trafficking
* Cognitive liberty
* Designer drug
* Drug court
* Drug possession
* Drug test
* Narc
* Politics of drug abuse
* War on drugs
* Mexican drug war
* Plan Colombia
* Philippine drug war
* Zero tolerance

Other

| Drug
production
and trade|

| Drug
production|

* Coca production in Colombia
* Drug precursors
* Opium production in Afghanistan
* Rolling meth lab

|

Drug trade|

* Illegal drug trade
* Afghanistan
* Aruba
* Australia
* Bangladesh
* Belize
* Benin
* Bhutan
* Bolivia
* Brazil
* Burma
* Cambodia
* Chile
* China
* Colombia
* Costa Rica
* Cuba
* Cyprus
* Dominican Republic
* El Salvador
* Estonia
* Finland
* Germany
* Haiti
* Honduras
* India
* Indian Ocean region
* Iran
* Italy
* Japan
* Kenya
* Kosovo
* Kyrgyzstan
* Laos
* Latin America
* Latvia
* Malaysia
* Mauritius
* Moldova
* Nigeria
* Norway
* Oman
* Panama
* Papua New Guinea
* Paraguay
* Philippines
* Poland
* Portugal
* Puerto Rico
* Russia
* Saint Kitts and Nevis
* Seychelles
* Slovakia
* South Africa
* South Korea
* Spain
* Suriname
* Switzerland
* Taiwan
* Thailand
* Turkey
* Turks and Caicos Islands
* United Arab Emirates
* United States
* Venezuela
* Darknet market
* Pharmaceutical distribution
* Beer shop
* Cannabis shop
* Liquor store
* Liquor license

Issues with
drug use|

* Abuse
* Addiction
* Date rape drug
* Dependence
* Driving impaired
* Drug harmfulness
* Effects of cannabis
* Drug-related crime
* Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder
* Long-term effects of cannabis
* Neurotoxicity
* Overdose
* Passive smoking
* of tobacco or other substances

Harm reduction|

* Drug checking
* Drug legalization
* Drug rehabilitation
* Needle and syringe programmes
* Opioid replacement therapy
* Pharmacovigilance
* Reagent testing
* Regulation of therapeutic goods
* Responsible drug use
* Substance abuse prevention
* Supervised injection site

Countries by
drug use|

* Alcohol consumption
* Cocaine use
* Cannabis
* Annual use
* Lifetime use
* Opiates use
* Tobacco consumption

* v
* t
* e

Ongoing armed conflicts

Africa|

| Central|

* Allied Democratic Forces insurgency
* Anglophone Crisis
* Cabinda War
* Central African Republic Civil War
* Insurgency in Chad
* Insurgency in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
* Ituri conflict
* Western DR Congo clashes
* Kivu conflict
* M23 offensive
* Lord's Resistance Army insurgency

|

East|

* ADF insurgency
* Ethiopian civil conflict
* Afar–Somali clashes
* OLA insurgency
* Oromo conflict
* War in Amhara
* Ethnic violence in South Sudan
* Insurgency in Mozambique
* Somali Civil War
* Operation Atalanta

North|

* Insurgency in Egypt
* Insurgency in the Maghreb
* Insurgency in the Sahel
* Jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso
* Jihadist insurgency in Niger
* Libyan Crisis
* Sinai insurgency
* Sudanese nomadic conflicts
* Ethnic violence in South Sudan
* War in Darfur
* Western Sahara conflict
* Western Saharan clashes

West|

* Communal conflicts in Nigeria
* Boko Haram insurgency
* Herder–farmer conflicts in Nigeria
* Nigerian bandit conflict
* Religious violence in Nigeria
* Conflict in the Niger Delta
* Insurgency in Southeastern Nigeria
* Mali War
* Azawad conflict
* Western Togoland Rebellion

Americas|

| North|

* Jamaican political conflict
* Mexican drug war
* Salvadoran gang crackdown
* Honduran gang crackdown
* Gang war in Haiti

|

South|

* Colombian conflict
* Ecuadorian security crisis
* Insurgency in Paraguay
* Peruvian conflict
* Mapuche conflict

Asia|

| East|

* Korean conflict

|

Central|

* Xinjiang conflict

South|

* Afghan conflict
* Islamic State–Taliban conflict
* Republican insurgency

* Internal conflict in Bangladesh
* Drugs

* Insurgency in Northeast India
* Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir
* Naxalite–Maoist insurgency

* Insurgency in Pakistan
* Insurgency in Sindh
* Sistan and Baluchestan insurgency
* Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
* Afghanistan–Pakistan border skirmishes
* Insurgency in Sindh
* Sectarian violence in Pakistan

South-
east|

* Myanmar conflict
* Myanmar civil war
* Kachin conflict
* Kalay clashes
* Karen conflict
* Karen–Mon conflict
* Conflict in Rakhine State
* Rohingya conflict
* Conflicts in the Philippines
* Communist
* Drug war
* Papua conflict
* South Thailand insurgency

West|

* Abkhazia conflict
* Georgian–Ossetian conflict
* Sistan and Baluchestan insurgency
* Iraq conflict
* Islamic State insurgency in Iraq
* Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict
* Qatif conflict
* Yemeni crisis
* Saudi–led intervention
* Yemeni Civil war
* Iran–Israel proxy conflict
* Gaza–Israel conflict
* Hezbollah–Israel conflict
* Iran–Israel conflict in Syria
* Kurdish separatism in Iran
* Iran–PJAK conflict
* Western Iran clashes
* Kurdistan Workers' Party insurgency
* 2015–present
* Maoist insurgency in Turkey
* DHKP/C insurgency in Turkey
* Syrian civil war
* Daraa insurgency
* Desert campaign
* Inter-rebel conflict
* Rojava conflict
* Russian intervention
* Syrian–Turkish border clashes
* Islamic State insurgency in Deir ez-Zor

Europe|

| East|

* Abkhazia conflict
* Georgian–Ossetian conflict
* Islamic State insurgency in the North Caucasus
* Russo-Ukrainian War
* Russian invasion of Ukraine

|

West|

* Dissident Irish republican campaign
* Loyalist feud

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