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The Bangladesh Coast Guard has sought financial incentives for its personnel under the Customs Act for seizing contrabands and uncovering duty evasion, according to an official communication.
In a letter sent to the National Board of Revenue (NBR) on September 18, the paramilitary force pointed out that since its establishment in 1995, the Coast Guard has been tasked with ensuring a strong maritime presence, safeguarding national resources, and contributing to the country's economic development.
Given the country's 710-kilometre-long coastline where smuggling remains widespread, the Coast Guard has been carrying out anti-smuggling drives across sea routes, riverways, ports, the Sundarbans, and adjacent coastal areas.
The force argued that it should be empowered under the Customs Act to seize smuggled goods, arrange their disposal, and claim financial rewards-similar to customs officials.
The letter, signed by Commander M Lutfor Rahman of the Bangladesh Navy on behalf of the Coast Guard director general, said authority should be delegated to Coast Guard officers for conducting anti-smuggling operations under the Act. A copy of the letter, also obtained by The Financial Express, was sent to the agency's operations directorate at its DG Secretariat.
Specifically, the Coast Guard sought authority for its petty officers under Sections 191, 192, 205, 237, 254, 255, and 258 of the Customs Act-2023.
These provisions empower officers to seize confiscable goods, prevent unauthorised disposal, and sell seized items through auction, tender, or with the owner's written consent.
The Act also allows informants and customs officers involved in unearthing duty evasion to receive monetary rewards, while the NBR may allocate part of surplus revenue at the import stage as incentives for its officials.
The letter also mentioned that the NBR has already empowered the Bangladesh Police to conduct anti-smuggling drives. The Coast Guard sought the same authority under the law to take necessary actions when required.
The Coast Guard requested that sailors not below the rank of Petty Officer (Grade-10) be delegated such authority through a gazette notification-similar to the police-so that financial rewards for seizures can be claimed and distributed in accordance with customs rules.
The letter also highlighted the volume of seizures made in recent years. According to Coast Guard data, goods worth Tk 311.33 billion were seized in the last five fiscal years. In FY2024-25 alone, the value of seized contrabands stood at Tk145.35 billion, compared to Tk 62.60 billion in FY2023-24, Tk 52.24 billion in FY2022-23, Tk 33.19 billion in FY2021-22, and Tk 17.97 billion in FY2020-21.
The seized items include current nets, fishing boats, Indian sarees and three-pieces, petrol, diesel, octane, mobile phones, yaba, liquor, beer, whisky, cosmetics, Phensedyl, cannabis, and foreign cigarettes, among others.
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