Primary inspection finds no illicit drug

The Department of Narcotics Control yesterday in its test found no harmful substances in the container sealed off by customs intelligence officials at Chittagong Port on suspicion of contraband drugs after it was imported on May 12 without following proper procedures.

Moinul Khan, director general of Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate, said they had information that one of the drums contains cocaine but it could not be detected through primary tests. So, they will go for further laboratory tests in Dhaka, he added.

Some 107 barrels of crude sunflower oil were found in the container after it was opened yesterday morning. A navy team also in its tests on the samples found presence of sunflower oil, corn oil, cottonseed oil and soybean oil.

Javed Patwary, additional inspector general of police of the Special Branch, told The Daily Star that a foreign intelligence agency informed them about some contraband drugs like liquid cocaine in a container being smuggled from South America to somewhere else using Bangladesh as a transit.

The international agency detained two persons in the UK yesterday in connection with the smuggling, said Javed, adding that the agency officials may visit Bangladesh to investigate the matter. DB officials on Saturday detained one Sohel who confessed to his involvement in importing the consignment from Bolivia using the name of his employer's firm Khan Jahan Ali Ltd at Chittagong.