Two Rohingya residents were arrested after 26kg of cannabis was recovered from a passenger bus in the Link Road area of Cox’s Bazar early on Saturday, 3 October.
The arrests were made by a team from SRB-15, which had set up a temporary checkpoint in the area following information about suspected drug trafficking. The operation took place in the early hours of the morning as officers checked vehicles travelling through the area.
The two people detained were identified as Mohammad Ayaz, 25, a resident of Kutupalong Rohingya Camp No. 2 in Ukhiya, and Hasina Begum, 55, who lives in the registered Kutupalong camp.
According to information provided by the authorities, the officers stopped a passenger bus travelling from Cumilla to Cox’s Bazar and carried out a search. The vehicle, operated by Saudia Paribahan, was searched at the temporary checkpoint, during which the 26kg of cannabis was recovered.
Two mobile phones allegedly used by the detainees were also seized during the operation. The devices were taken into custody as part of the evidence handed over to the police along with the recovered drugs.
During preliminary questioning, the two detainees reportedly told investigators that they had been collecting drugs from different border areas and transporting them to various parts of Cox’s Bazar for distribution and sale. They allegedly said they had changed their methods of collecting and transporting the drugs over time.
Those statements, however, form part of the preliminary inquiry. Any wider involvement in drug trafficking, including the source of the cannabis and its intended destination, would have to be established through the subsequent investigation and legal proceedings.
The recovery was made from a public passenger bus travelling along a major road towards Cox’s Bazar. Such routes carry regular passenger and commercial traffic, making checks at strategic points an important part of law-enforcement operations targeting the movement of illicit substances.
Following the arrests, the seized cannabis, the two mobile phones and the detainees were handed over to Cox’s Bazar Sadar Model Police Station for further legal action. Police are expected to proceed according to the relevant provisions governing possession, transportation and distribution of illegal drugs.
The case may also help investigators examine how the recovered consignment was obtained and whether other people were involved in transporting or distributing it. At this stage, however, the allegations against the two detainees remain subject to investigation and due legal process.
Sheikh Mohammad Ali, officer-in-charge of Cox’s Bazar Sadar Model Police Station, confirmed the arrests and the recovery.
The operation comes amid continued law-enforcement efforts to intercept drugs being transported through Cox’s Bazar and surrounding areas. The recovery of a sizeable quantity of cannabis from a passenger vehicle has placed particular focus on the route used to transport the consignment, while investigators work to establish the full circumstances surrounding the seizure.
