Coast Guard intercepts smuggling boat bound for Myanmar, detains 10 with urea fertilizer, essential goods
Staff Correspondent
Coast Guard personnel intercepted a smuggling vessel carrying substantial quantities of urea fertilizer and essential food commodities bound for Myanmar, detaining 10 suspected smugglers during a late-night operation off St. Martin's Island in Cox's Bazar district on Saturday.
Coast Guard Media Officer Lieutenant Commander Sabbir Alam Sujon said this in an official release on Saturday afternoon.
Acting on a tip-off regarding cross-border smuggling, an operational team from Coast Guard Station St. Martin conducted a special drive in the deep sea area southeast of Chera Dwip near St. Martin's Island at around 1:00 AM on Saturday. Upon spotting a suspicious trawler, Coast Guard personnel signaled the vessel to stop; however, the crew attempted to flee into deep waters. Following a high-seas chase, the Coast Guard team successfully intercepted and seized the boat.
A subsequent search of the vessel yielded 240 bags (12,000 kg) of urea fertilizer, 190 bags (3,800 kg) of garlic, and 90 bags (4,500 kg) of onions, valued collectively at approximately Tk 13.70 lakh. Coast Guard personnel detained 10 individuals aboard the vessel, including one Rohingya national, for their alleged involvement in the smuggling racket.
Legal proceedings to hand over the detained individuals and seized goods to relevant law enforcement agencies have been taken.
