Bangladeshi court sentences Rohingya refugee, 3 locals to death for drug smuggling
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) – A court in Bangladesh on Wednesday sentenced a Rohingya refugee and three locals to death for their involvement in drug smuggling.
The judge of the District and Sessions Court in Cox’s Bazar announced the verdict in front of the Rohingya man Muhammad Ayaz, 34, and three locals, and it included a fine of 50,000 Bangladeshi takas (about $486) for each culprit.
They were found guilty of smuggling 1.3 million illegal yaba narcotics pills, a powerful and addictive stimulant.
Following the court announcement, the state counsel in the case, Faridul Alam Farid, shared the verdict details with the media, and said the court handed down a capital sentence because the charges against all four defendants in the case were based on evidence.
Over 1.2 million persecuted Rohingya are currently housed in Bangladesh on a large hilly forest site in Cox’s Bazar, after fleeing a brutal military crackdown in Myanmar in August 2017.
Cox’s Bazar has been a drug smuggling hub since the refugee influx, with the Bangladesh Border Guard continuing to apprehend and imprison alleged drug smugglers, particularly near the Bangladesh-Myanmar border in the district.
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