Bangladeshi expatriate caught with 15,000 yaba tablets gets life in prison

A tribunal has sentenced Anik, a Bangladeshi expatriate identified by a single name who was living in Saudi Arabia, to life in prison after being caught at Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport with 15,000 pieces of banned narcotic yaba.

Judge Anurav Chakrabarty of the Dhaka Speedy Trial Tribunal-2 delivered the verdict on Monday.

In addition to the prison sentence, Anik was also fined Tk 500,000. Failure to pay the fine will be punished by two additional years in prison.

Anik hails from Paschimpara in Cumilla’s Kotwali Thana.

He was brought to the court from jail for the verdict, said Muhammad Abdul Noor Bhuiyan Bablu, special public prosecutor for the tribunal.

A warrant was issued after the verdict and he was taken to prison.

Another suspect in the case - Anik’s cousin, Masud aka Rubel - was acquitted as the charges against him were not proven.

On Jan 16, 2023, Anik was arrested at the airport on the basis of a tip-off after travelling to Dhaka from Saudi Arabia’s Dammam, the case documents said. A total of 15,050 yaba tablets were recovered during a search of his bag.

The following day, Azadul Islam Salam, an inspector at the Narcotics Control Department at the airport, filed a case against two suspects at the Airport Police Station.

Another inspector at the department, Hossain Mia, filed the charge sheet against the two on Apr 3, 2023.

The court indicted the two suspects and began the trial.

A total of 11 witnesses testified over the course of the trial.