Bangladesh Coast Guard seized a fishing boat along with 17 suspected smugglers and supari (betel nuts) worth around Tk 20 million, allegedly smuggled from India without paying customs duties on Sunday.
Coast Guard Media Officer Lieutenant Commander Siam-ul-Haque informed the matter in a press release on Monday afternoon.
According to the press release, acting on a tip-off, a special operation was carried out by the Coast Guard Station Patuakhali at around 2 a.m. on Sunday near the Lohalia Bridge area under Patuakhali Sadar police station. During the raid, a suspicious fishing boat was searched, resulting in the recovery of approximately 37,455 kg of foreign supari valued at Tk 22,473,000, along with the fishing boat itself and 17 suspected traffickers.
The seized supari, boat, and detainees were later handed over to Patuakhali Sadar police station for legal action.
The Bangladesh Coast Guard stated that such anti-smuggling drives will continue in the future.
