Death sentence not enough to stop drugs

In recent years, the drug menace has reached horrendous proportions in Bangladesh, both in terms of trade and addiction. This has become a national problem and is obviously out of the law enforcement agencies’ control. It is a matter of concern that the government is tackling this as a mere law and order issue. But it is not as if imposing a death sentence will resolve the problem. After all, those running the drug cartels, trading around 60 billion taka worth of yaba pills a year, are hardly bothered about such sentences.
The annual narcotics control report says that the use of drugs has increased by 80 per cent from 2008 to 2016. And it went up by 46 per cent from 2015 to 2016. This increase in drug use is because yaba is now within the reach of even the poorer classes. Low prices mean higher consumers. In 2012, the number of yaba addicts was less than 6 per cent of the total number of drug addicts. Within a year it crossed over 31 per cent. How? According to government reports, yaba is being smuggled in through 15 points along the Bangladesh-Myanmar border. What are those responsible for preventing this smuggling doing then?
Despite the tensions between the two countries over the Rohingya repatriation issue, joint patrols are being carried out. Surveillance has been increased along the border due to the Rohingya crisis. So how has yaba smuggling increased? There are allegations that a powerful section of the Myanmar army is involved in this trade. But then, our own border security forces should challenge this. We must protect our borders.
In 2002, the number of drug-related cases hardly reached 10,000. In 2017 the number of such cases almost reached 100,000. If the law enforcement is so active, how come this has increased 10 times over? This seems to be linked to the fictitious cases being filed by the police where, according to media reports, the police surreptitiously slips in a packet of yaba pills or heroin into the pockets of unsuspecting victims and nab them. So the number of drug-related cases does not indicate the responsibility or efficiency of the law enforcement in controlling drugs.
While the number of cases may have spiralled up, the number of accused actually being sentences is few. Backed by the administration, the so-called war against drugs saw around 300 extrajudicial killings. Similar operations in Philippines and other countries indicate that such exercises are totally ineffective. There is no use in imposing laws for life term imprisonment or death sentences unless the border is tightly secured and steps are taken to heathen the responsibility and accountability of the law enforcement agencies.
A narcotics control bill 2018 has been placed in parliament with provisions for death penalty for carrying, using, importing, exporting or trading drugs. After the separation of the judiciary, it is contrary to constitution to put forward the proposal for increasing the jurisdiction of mobile courts under officers of the administration cadre for the trial of drug-related crimes. Even the present drug related law while provides for a mobile court, creates an unconstitutional parallel judiciary in the country. All this should be end. In order to resolve the problem, it is most important to ensure the accountability of the concerned quarters.