Ukhiya, Cox’s Bazar
Law enforcement seized approximately 3,000 litres of acid from a rented shop in Ukhiya on Friday afternoon. The chemicals were stockpiled for illegal smuggling into Myanmar. Sources confirmed the acid was destined for the Terrorist Arakan Army (AA) and affiliated militant networks.
RAB-15 operatives, acting on precise intelligence, conducted the raid at Zakaria Market’s ground floor in the South Station area of Palongkhali, Ward No. 7. Palongkhali Union Parishad Chairman M. Gafuruddin Chowdhury joined the operation. Consequently, the team discovered 100 jerricans of 30 litres each, storing a total of 3 tonnes of acid.
The acid belonged to Akhtar Hossain (32), son of the late Abu Bakkar of Anjumanpara, Palongkhali. Officers from Ukhiya Police Station took charge of the seized material. Moreover, security forces locked the shop and placed it under the custody of the local UP member and village police. Authorities collected a 30-litre sample for laboratory testing.
Initial investigations revealed a chilling purpose behind this stockpile. Active smuggling networks operating near the border supply these chemicals to the Terrorist Arakan Army and other armed groups in Myanmar. Investigators believe the acid serves as a key precursor for manufacturing yaba, crystal methamphetamine (ice), and various explosives. Consequently, this single seizure likely disrupted the production of thousands of narcotics doses.
The terrorist AA does not only manufacture drugs. It weaponizes industrial chemicals. It converts them into battlefield materials and mass-market narcotics. Moreover, the AA uses these narcotics to fund its genocidal campaigns against civilian populations, including the Rohingya.
Ukhiya Police is now pursuing legal action. Investigators are examining whether the market owner and other individuals bear criminal responsibility. Furthermore, intelligence agencies are tracing the full supply chain behind this acid stockpile.
This raid exposes a critical link in the terrorist AA’s narco-terror infrastructure. The AA does not source chemicals by accident. It runs organized procurement networks inside Bangladesh. Bangladesh’s law enforcement agencies continue to dismantle these networks one raid at a time.
