Five men are accused of using the method at least 60 times since 2008, sending drugs via the post to London using Bangladesh as a transit point, assistant police commissioner Touhidul Islam told AFP.
"A Bangladeshi immigrant in Birmingham leads the gang. He buys heroin from Pakistan and sends it to Bangladesh in courier services. The drug is then delivered to London mostly via courier services," Islam said.
"Most of the time they used DHL to ship the heroin to London," he said, according to information from one detainee, Shamsul Arefin, who is a cousin of the alleged ringleader.
The four others suspects work for a local courier service. They denied any wrongdoing and instead blamed Arefin for attempting to send heroin concealed inside the sole of a shoe in a package addressed to London.
"Arefin said they had been smuggling heroin in courier parcels for the last four years," Islam added.
Experts say Bangladesh is emerging as a new conduit for trafficking drugs to the West. A top tycoon is awaiting trial after being charged in 2006 with leading a racket that shipped large amounts of heroin to Britain.
COMMENTS (41)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ
1714024018-0/ModiLara-(1)1714024018-0-270x192.webp)
@limne: DHL is a fully-owned subsidiary of Germany's Deutsche Post. So stop creating deceitful conspiracies as they make you look more witless than you probably are.
there is a pakistan link..even if they purchased from pakistan, it means pakistan sells it, it means these are open deals in Pakistan.. how can the government allows to sell it?
@Naeem Siddiqui: Real answer to your qs: quite a successful one!
DHL failed to scan packages in 3 countries (Pakistan, Bangladesh and UK) !!?? what kind of courier company is this ????
@wolfie loves kulfi:
Yeah, as if Customs department and Port authorities in Pakistan have never been into news for any wrong reason.I am saying so even though never lived in Pakistan that much.One of my own uncles (Khalo's) brother is in Customs, and my uncle who happens to be very religious tries to stay away from him as much as possible since he knows how the latter made so much money which was not possible had he worked honestly.Bribery and corruption is common among Customs officials just like many other institutions of Pakistan.
I live in Canada and my dad was once visiting this family and coincidentally their relatives had recently moved to Canada.In front of my dad his relative was saying that he worked in Air force or some Airline,but my dad remembered his face as he had seen him working in Customs at Karachi Airport.The other guy just made an excuse and didn't come infront of my dad just to save his face and any sort of embarassment.I am pretty much sure that even the host family also knew about their relative's real occupation.
@tj: Produced where? Get it!
first news i opened on ET after so many days is misleading as usual.
@Jat: LOL...
@casim: We know all is bad in Pakistan, but then you don't have to feel proud about it ! Or do you want everyone in the world to condone and commend heroin smuggling and jailing of 12 year old girl child ?
yeah Indians all is bad in Pakistan whereas India is shinning & has become a developed country & now everyone around the world wants to take up Indian nationality :) you guys surely have too much time on hand to come here everyday to spread hatred!!! stop your obsession with us Pakistanis!!!
wow ET you're such a joke
If RAW/CIA/MOSSAD/KGB is responsible for everything inside Pakistan, it is not time the people of Pakistan vote them to run the Government also.
@Jat: That's exactly earlier comment was pointed. These TTP people (majority) are not even Pakistani, they deserve no mercy irrespective which side of the border they hv hideouts. They are not Muslims nor humans.
@Randomstranger: you want cocoo news to please you all time?
first they moaned when they lost the cricket final and now they are blaming Pak for drugs smuggling ring run by Bangladeshis - a bunch of cry babies moaning about one thing or the other since 1947
@batman ya so by that logic what should have been said is bangladesh busts london based gang as thy are at the recieving end! Creating controversies even when there isnt one.
@RS: You really want to know what is sick ? Do you really ? Go watch the beheading video of 12 of your own soldiers.
Another failed attempt by ET to please its beloved Indian readers and commentators. (And another comment rejected by visionary moderators).
Next news will be Pakistan mouth feed heroin to end users. It seems even if some one coughs in the world, it's because Pakistan exporting coughs around the globe. What a sick world we live in.
@Syed: People like you are responsible for Pakistan's economy and industry going down the drain ! You are ready to consume KFC chicken and burgers from enemy no. 1 but refuse to consume your own pure domestic product.
RAW is behind this
You know, I thank God that I never tried smoking, drugs or drinking. Its a blessing.
@wolfie loves kulfi: Probably there are RAW/Mossad/CIA agents in port authority as well as in Pakistan custom department. It looks like yet another conspiracy !! :)
who say pakistan doesnt have industry ? one of the most profitable industry is in Pakistan...Lets celebrate this !: )
first how did the DHL consignment leave Pakistan port unchecked ? what was customs and security doing sleeping? what if some one sent a bomb in consignment on board a private aircraft and there was a tragedy? who would shoulder that responsibility ? the port authorities should fire the people on site who are responsible for state and national security for such a serious lapse forget the Bangladeshi even normal Pakistanis are at more risk with such security lapses
ET the biased newspaper busy in defaming Pakistan in every possible way
@tj @ash The answer to your question lies in the first sentence. "Bangladesh police said Tuesday they had busted a gang of suspected heroin smugglers who had been using international courier service DHL to ship drugs from Pakistan to London via Dhaka."
another irresponsible "headline" from ET. Guys this was a Bangali ring , they only purchased it from Pakistan. your headline should be " Bangladeshi led heroin ring busted , purchased heroin from Pakistan" if your really wanted to highlight Pakistan's involvement.
every one is trying to dispraise the Pakistan.....
It's Bengali smugglers buying heroin in Pakistan and then sending it abroad... looks like they busted their own heroin gang... anyway, thanks for that misleading title ET...
So what it has to do with Pakistan? I think story sells more if you include "Pakistan" directly or indirectly.
this is a conspiracy by DHL to defame Pakistan! Why did it need to fly East and then West? It did it on purpose! I call on ISI to investigate!
Bollywood Heroin ?
so where is Pakistan to blame in this?