The Bangladesh Coast Guard has seized a boat carrying 12 tonnes of urea fertiliser, garlic and onions that it says were being smuggled to Myanmar. The vessel was intercepted in deep water south-east of Chhera Dwip, off Saint Martin's Island, on the night of Friday, 18 September, and ten people on board, including one Rohingya, were detained. Coast Guard media officer Lieutenant Commander Sabbir Alam Sujan announced the seizure on Saturday afternoon.

Acting on a tip-off at about 1 am, members of Coast Guard Station Saint Martin's launched a special operation and spotted a suspicious boat in the open sea, the force said. The boat ignored a signal to stop and tried to flee; the Coast Guard team gave chase and detained it.

A search turned up 240 sacks holding 12,000 kg of urea, 190 sacks holding 3,800 kg of garlic and 90 sacks holding 4,500 kg of onions. The Coast Guard put the estimated value of the seized goods at Tk 13,70,000.

The Teknaf and Saint Martin's coast of Cox's Bazar has long been known as a high-risk corridor for the movement of illegal goods across the border, with organised groups using the Naf river and the wide waters of the Bay of Bengal. Law enforcement agencies are also watching whether tighter surveillance on land and river routes is pushing smugglers out to sea.

Officials say attempts to move urea and other farm inputs out of the country can affect domestic supply and prices — a concern sharpened at the height of the Aman season, when farmers in several districts are queuing at dealers for urea. Who was behind the consignment and where the fertiliser was sourced will be clear only after investigation.

Lieutenant Commander Sujan said the Coast Guard's anti-smuggling operations are continuing and will be stepped up. Legal action against the detained men is under way, and the goods and the boat are being handed over to the relevant authorities. The report is from Bangla Tribune's Teknaf (Cox's Bazar) correspondent.

Source: Bangla Tribune