Sherpur Correspondent

 Smuggling operations along the Garo Hills border in Sherpur district continue to thrive despite frequent law enforcement drives, seizures, and arrests, driven by powerful narcotics networks operating across the 40-kilometer international border with India.

Local residents report that syndicates utilize the rugged terrain as a key transit route, bringing illicit substances across the border, concealing them in hilly enclaves, and transporting them across Sherpur and nearby districts via trucks, covered vans, pickups, auto-rickshaws, and motorcycles. Community members allege that smuggling informants monitor law enforcement patrols, warning operatives in advance to bypass security checkpoints and alter trafficking routes.

Over a hundred individuals are reportedly involved in the trade across vulnerable border points, including Haldigram, Sandhyakura, Gomra, and Rangtia in Jhinaigati Upazila. Despite the presence of eight Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) camps along the border stretch, remote topography and communication challenges continue to hinder interdiction efforts.

According to BGB operational records, border guards seized narcotics and smuggled Indian goods valued at approximately Tk 70 crore over the past year, while detaining more than 100 individuals. Police records further indicate multiple pending cases and arrest warrants against key suspects in the region.

Border security and anti-narcotics strategies were addressed during a meeting of the Jhinaigati Upazila Law and Order Committee, where Member of Parliament Mahmudul Haq Rubel and local leaders urged authorities to intensify surveillance and joint operations.

Jhinaigati Police Station OC  S. M. Nur Mohammad confirmed that recent police drives led to the recovery of illicit substances worth over Tk 3 lakh alongside formal filings of new cases. 

Sherpur District Magistrate and Deputy Commissioner Farida Yasmin reaffirmed zero tolerance against drug trafficking, emphasizing the need for enhanced intelligence coordination and active community participation to dismantle border-area syndicates.