Bangladesh Border Guard says Arakan Army linked to yaba pills trafficking
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Htet Nadi (NP News) - Sep 20
According to a statement by the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) on September 15, the Arakan Army is reportedly involved in the trafficking of contraband yaba pills, as reported by Bangladesh media outlet The Daily Star.
Ramu Sector Commander Colonel Mohiduddin Ahmed told journalists at a press conference in a Cox’s Bazar hotel that Bengalis (originally reported as Rohingyas) are primarily involved in yaba trafficking. He explained that they transport the drugs quickly, making it difficult for authorities to intercept them. He added that certain unscrupulous individuals within Bangladesh, driven by self-interest, are bringing yaba into the country from Myanmar’s Arakan Army.
The briefing emphasized the BGB’s recent achievements in seizing drugs and weapons and described additional steps being taken to enhance border security. In a written statement, Colonel Mohiduddin pointed out that smuggling of drugs via coastal routes has become the most significant challenge at present.
According to the report, since July 15, the BGB has seized approximately 2.8 million yaba pills from border areas in Cox’s Bazar and parts of Bandarban. During the same period, authorities also recovered 22 firearms, including advanced rifles.
In a separate statement, the paramilitary force said it has intensified intelligence gathering and operational activities along the country’s borders to curb illegal arms trafficking.
Since the AA group first emerged, yaba methamphetamine has become increasingly popular in Rakhine State, and there has been an increase in methamphetamine use not only among Rakhine youth but also in the Bengali refugee camps on the Bangladesh border. In particular, there is ample evidence that AA members who died during some battles used methamphetamine, and there are also reports that AA members were drugged and forced to fight.
The AA group is expanding its overseas drug market to Western countries and the Middle East through Bangladesh and Malaysia. This is evidenced by the arrest of 13 members of the drug gang between August 5 and 14, 2025, along with the seizure of 218 million methamphetamine pills and ice (5614.2 kg of methamphetamine and 1899 kg of ketamine) worth 257 billion kyats (US$71.4 million) destined for Malaysia and Bangladesh.
Recently, an Arakan Army (AA) team was caught with drugs valued at 170.49 billion kyats, which were reportedly destined for Malaysia, according to a press release issued by the Myanmar Police Force on September 12.
The Myanmar government has made the fight against drugs a national responsibility and is working hard to block the drug trafficking routes of the AA group and arrest drug smugglers. According to the testimonies of the arrested suspects and evidence obtained, the AA group's drug trafficking activities are undeniable and they are connected to international drug cartels, illegal arms smuggling gangs, and cross-border human trafficking.