Despite years of anti-drug drives and the seizure of nearly 45 crore yaba tablets, between 68.76 lakh and 1.14 crore yaba pills still reach an estimated 22.92 lakh addicts across Bangladesh every day, exposing the vast scale and resilience of the country's narcotics trafficking network, according to the Department of Narcotics Control (DNC).
The findings, based on a study conducted by Bangladesh Medical University in association with the Department of Narcotics Control (DNC), estimate that the country has around 22.92 lakh yaba addicts and 60.79 lakh ganja addicts.
According to the study and DNC officials, yaba users consume between 68.76 lakh and 1.14 crore tablets every day, with each addict taking an average of three to five pills. Meanwhile, ganja users consume more than 30,399kg of marijuana daily, averaging about five grams per person.
The figures indicate that millions of yaba tablets and more than 30 tonnes of ganja are supplied to addicts across the country every day through an extensive trafficking network.
* 22.92 lakh yaba addicts consume up to 1.14 crore pills every day
* Over 60 lakh ganja users consume around 30,399 kg daily
* Government plans specialised narcotics tribunals under amended law
* Home minister vows action against drug kingpins, financiers and masterminds
According to the DNC, most yaba consignments originate in Myanmar and enter Bangladesh through border points in Teknaf and Cox's Bazar, particularly via the Naf River. Traffickers often use local residents to transport the drugs across the border before storing consignments in Rohingya camps and moving them to major distribution hubs, including Chattogram and Dhaka.
Yaba is also smuggled through St Martin's Island, Shahporir Dwip, Dhumdhumia, the Cox's Bazar Highway, Ukhiya, Katapahar and Balukhali in Cox's Bazar, as well as Ghumdhum, Naikhyangchhari, Damdamia and Jelepara in Bandarban.
The report said traffickers recruit local residents and economically vulnerable people by offering payments based on the size of consignments delivered. The drugs are later distributed through networks operating from residential hotels, private homes and other locations, with students and young professionals increasingly becoming targets.
Trafficking methods have also become more sophisticated. According to the DNC, syndicates are increasingly using social media, online marketplaces, encrypted messaging applications, courier services and digital payment systems to coordinate operations and evade law enforcement.
Officials said traffickers also conceal drugs in shoes, walking sticks and vehicle tyres, while some couriers swallow yaba tablets to avoid detection. Women and children are also used as carriers in some cases.
Data from the DNC show that the department, along with the police, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and the Coast Guard, seized 44.99 crore yaba tablets and 11,15,808.282kg of ganja between 2009 and May 2026.
Spread over the 17 years and five months covered by the data, the seizures translate into an average recovery of about 70,787 yaba tablets and 175.55kg of ganja each day.
Despite the large-scale recoveries, officials say drugs continue to enter Bangladesh through at least 386 border points.
According to DNC and police sources, narcotics are smuggled from India's West Bengal into Satkhira, Jashore, Chuadanga, Meherpur, Rajshahi, Chapainawabganj, Joypurhat and Dinajpur. Other routes connect Assam and Meghalaya with Kurigram, Sherpur, Mymensingh and Netrokona, while consignments also enter Sylhet, Brahmanbaria, Cumilla and Feni from India's Assam, Tripura and Mizoram. Drugs are also smuggled into Naogaon from South Dinajpur.
The DNC has identified Cox's Bazar, Chattogram, Cumilla, Brahmanbaria, Narsingdi, Faridpur, Gazipur, Narayanganj, Tangail, Mymensingh, Rajshahi, Natore, Naogaon, Pabna, Sirajganj, Bogura, Joypurhat, Dinajpur, Kurigram, Lalmonirhat, Rangpur, Satkhira, Jashore, Kushtia and Chuadanga as among the country's most narcotics-prone districts.
Law enforcement agencies, including the DNC, Bangladesh Coast Guard and Bangladesh Navy, continue to conduct anti-narcotics operations, with several recent large-scale yaba seizures reported in Cox's Bazar.
The government has also stepped up legal measures. The DNC has intensified anti-drug drives, particularly in the Rangpur and Chattogram divisions, while the government has proposed amendments to the Narcotics Control Act to establish specialised narcotics tribunals and introduce dog squads to strengthen enforcement.
Speaking at a discussion in Dhaka on Friday, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said the amendment to the Narcotics Control Act would be placed before parliament within the next few days. He said the government's efforts would not be limited to arresting retailers and couriers, but would also target the masterminds, financiers and kingpins behind the narcotics trade.
