Bangladesh drug crisis: 8.2 million addicts, 105 border smuggling points
Synopsis
Bangladesh's drug epidemic has reached alarming scale — 8.2 million addicts, 105 active smuggling corridors, and a near-doubling of yaba seizures in a single year. Yet the agency tasked with tackling it is short on manpower, vehicles, and technology, while courts are backlogged with unresolved cases. The crisis is accelerating faster than the state's capacity to contain it.
Key Takeaways
Bangladesh has an estimated 8.2 million narcotics users, with 23 lakh concentrated in Dhaka alone.
Drugs are smuggled through at least 105 border points across 18 districts , via land, coastal, and riverine routes.
Yaba and ATS tablet seizures nearly doubled to 4.35 crore in 2025 , up from 2.28 crore the previous year.
Traffickers increasingly use encrypted apps , online marketplaces , and digital payment systems to coordinate distribution.
The DNC cited critical shortages of manpower, detection tools, and vehicles; many drug cases remain unresolved due to court backlogs.
A large share of synthetic drug users and carriers are aged between 16 and 30 , highlighting acute youth exposure.
Bangladesh is confronting a worsening drug epidemic, with an estimated 8.2 million people dependent on narcotics nationwide, according to a report by The Daily Star, the country's leading English-language newspaper. Dhaka has emerged as the primary hub for illicit drug distribution and consumption, with nearly 23 lakh of the country's 82 lakh addicts concentrated in the capital alone.
Scale of the Smuggling Network
Narcotics ranging from yaba to heroin are reportedly being trafficked through at least 105 border points spanning 18 districts. Traffickers exploit a diverse range of entry corridors — land borders, coastal routes, and riverine passages — before distributing consignments via couriers and online networks.
Smugglers have also adapted to the digital age, increasingly using social media platforms, encrypted messaging applications, online marketplaces, and digital payment systems to coordinate and expand the illicit trade, the report noted. Covert physical techniques include swallowing packets of yaba tablets, concealing drugs inside shoes, walking sticks, and vehicle tyres, and deploying women and children as carriers.
Surge in Synthetic and Psychoactive Substances
Authorities have flagged the growing smuggling of synthetic and psychoactive substances — including LSD and MDMA — as a new and complex challenge. Officials and experts noted that a significant share of synthetic drug users and carriers fall between the ages of 16 and 30, pointing to a deepening youth vulnerability.
Seizure data underscores the shifting composition of the drug trade. According to the report, yaba and other amphetamine-type stimulant (ATS) tablets seized nearly doubled to 4.35 crore in 2025, up from 2.28 crore the previous year. By contrast, seizures of several other narcotics declined: heroin fell to 337 kg from 503 kg; Phensedyl dropped to 3,19,940 bottles from 5,72,865 bottles; cannabis declined to 96,358 kg from 1,14,345 kg; and cocaine fell sharply to 15 kg from 130 kg.
Enforcement Gaps and Institutional Strain
The Department of Narcotics Control (DNC), operating under Bangladesh's Home Ministry, acknowledged severe resource constraints hampering its counter-narcotics operations. The agency faces critical shortages of manpower, advanced detection equipment, vehicles, and the technological capacity required for intelligence-led operations.
Mohammad Badruddin, Additional Director (Intelligence) at the DNC headquarters, said, 'With limited manpower and resources, we are trying our best to conduct drives, arrest the perpetrators and recover illegal substances.'
The DNC report further noted that many drug-related cases remain unresolved for years, citing overburdened courts, procedural delays, weak evidence management, poor investigative quality, and witness intimidation as systemic barriers to prosecution.
What Comes Next
The report's findings place mounting pressure on Bangladesh's law enforcement and judicial institutions to address both supply-side smuggling networks and demand-side addiction support. With synthetic drug use rising sharply among youth and enforcement agencies stretched thin, analysts warn that without significant resource augmentation and judicial reform, the crisis is likely to deepen further.
Point of View
Multi-corridor trafficking network, and the gap is widening. The concentration of 23 lakh addicts in Dhaka alone signals an urban public health emergency that narcotics enforcement alone cannot resolve. Without parallel investment in addiction treatment infrastructure, judicial capacity, and cross-border intelligence cooperation — particularly with Myanmar, the primary yaba source — seizure numbers will keep climbing while the underlying crisis compounds.
NationPress
28 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
How many people are addicted to drugs in Bangladesh?
An estimated 8.2 million people in Bangladesh are dependent on narcotics, according to a report citing officials at the Home Ministry and the Department of Narcotics Control. Of these, nearly 23 lakh are based in Dhaka, making it the country's largest concentration of drug users.
How are drugs being smuggled into Bangladesh?
Narcotics are smuggled through at least 105 border points across 18 districts via land, coastal, and riverine corridors. Traffickers also use encrypted messaging apps, online marketplaces, and digital payment systems for distribution, and have been known to use women and children as physical carriers.
Which drugs are most prevalent in Bangladesh's drug crisis?
Yaba — an amphetamine-type stimulant — is the dominant drug, with seizures nearly doubling to 4.35 crore tablets in 2025. Heroin, cannabis, Phensedyl, and cocaine are also trafficked, though seizures of those substances declined in 2025 compared to the previous year.
Why is Bangladesh struggling to control the drug trade?
The Department of Narcotics Control faces critical shortages of manpower, advanced detection equipment, and vehicles. Courts are overburdened with unresolved drug cases due to procedural delays, weak evidence management, and witness pressure, creating a slow-moving justice pipeline that undermines deterrence.
Who is most at risk from synthetic drugs in Bangladesh?
Officials and experts identified individuals between the ages of 16 and 30 as the primary users and carriers of synthetic and psychoactive substances, including LSD and MDMA. The trend points to a growing youth drug vulnerability that authorities say requires urgent attention.
