A Chittagong court on Thursday issued an arrest warrant for three fugitives accused of smuggling liquid cocaine in the guise of sunflower oil from abroad in 2015.
The court of Chittagong Metropolitan Magistrate Abu Saleh Mohammed Noman issued the warrant after accepting the charge sheet submitted by RAB-7 in a case lodged with Bandar police station, public prosecutor Advocate Md Fakhruddin Chowdhury said.
On April 3 this year, RAB-7 Additional Superintendent of Police Md Mohiouddin Faruki pressed the charges against 10 people before the court of Metropolitan Magistrate Harun-ur-Rashid, 15 months after investigations began.
The three fugitives are Mostak Ahmed Khan and Bangladeshi-born UK citizens Fazlur Rahman, from Faridganj of Chandpur, and Md Bokul Mia, from Rajnagar of Moulvibazar.
The cocaine haul was uncovered when the Directorate of Customs Intelligence and Investigation acted on a tip-off and seized a container carrying 2,140kg liquid cocaine in 107 drums at Chittagong Port on June 6, 2015.
CIID officials said the container was shipped from Montevideo, Uruguay after being imported from Bolivia and arrived via Singapore at Chittagong on May 13 the same year.
The container, imported by Khan Jahan Ali Limited, carried the number CDHU-9145769/193844, along with the address of Nabi Market at Khatungonj in Chittagong, said CIID officials.
Six people have already been arrested in the case. They are COSCO Shipping Agency Manager AKM Azad, Mondol Group’s Commercial Executive Atikur Rahman, real Estate company official Mostafa Kamal, Prime Hatchery Limited Manager Golam Mostafa Shohel, security company official Mehedi Alam and C&F company official Saiful Islam.
Thursday, April 25, 2024
