Drug cases in Barishal surge nearly 80 percent
Graphics: Agamir Somoy
Drug abuse and trafficking have spread across Barishal division like a disease. Although most incidents remain unrecorded, official police complaints are soaring rapidly.
Data from the Barishal Range DIG Office reveals that law enforcement registered 1,575 drug cases across the division from January to June of this year. District-level records show 384 cases in Barishal district, 299 in Patuakhali, 348 in Bhola, 273 in Pirojpur, 123 in Barguna, and 148 in Jhalakathi.
A comparative analysis shows that police recorded 877 cases during the same period last year - comprising 230 cases in Barishal, 221 in Patuakhali, 96 in Bhola, 164 in Pirojpur, 110 in Barguna, and 56 in Jhalakathi.
Bhola experienced the sharpest escalation among all districts. Overall drug cases across the division rose by nearly 80 percent year-over-year, with officials noting the alarming reality that youths constitute the vast majority of the accused.
Barishal District Office of the Department of Narcotics Control (DNC) said, “From June 2025 to May of this year, 907 drug cases were filed. In one year, 641 people received treatment at government and private drug addiction treatment and rehabilitation centers.”
Addressing the crisis, DNC Barishal District Office Deputy Director Tanveer Hossain Khan added, “Most of those who have received or are receiving treatment at drug rehabilitation centers are young people. Besides, the number of women patients is also increasing at an alarming rate. Keeping those matters in mind, anti-drug drives are being conducted under the government’s zero-tolerance policy.
“Based on intelligence information, regular operations are being conducted to bring individuals involved in drug smuggling and sales under the law. Families, educational institutions, and social organizations must also increase awareness. We are trying to uproot the drugs from their roots.”
The New Life Drug Addiction and Mental Health Care Center Managing Director Golam Mortuza Jewel remarked, “An average of five new drug-addicted individuals come to this center for treatment every day. Among them, 90 percent are young people, mostly between 16 and 35 years old. If families and society had paid attention to these youths from the beginning, they might not have become involved with drugs. An average of over 100 patients remain admitted daily.”
He added, “Along with family and social environments, bad company is pushing many toward drugs. In some cases, it is the circle of friends, in some cases family problems, while others take drugs out of curiosity. By identifying the causes, we are trying to heal them and return them to their families through counseling and treatment. A crackdown by the police is essential to save students from the clutches of drugs.”
Barishal Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital former head of the Department of Psychiatry Tapan Kumar Saha emphasized that family instability, frustration, loneliness, and bad company drive many young people toward drug addiction.
He stressed the necessity of identifying why an individual turns to drugs and ensuring timely counseling, medical treatment, and family support. Family indifference and the failure to provide proper guidance aggravate the crisis, calling on families to pay closer attention to their children while expanding opportunities for youths to participate in sports, cultural activities, and positive social initiatives.
Barishal Range Police Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Zulfiqar Ali Haider said, “There is no compromise against drugs. We are conducting special operations across the division to eradicate drugs. We have also provided a hotline number there for giving us information. Our main goal is to destroy the chain ranging from drug godfathers to drug users.”
