DHAKA, Jan 20, 2026 (BSS) – A contingent of the Bangladesh Navy, as part of its ongoing countrywide drive against terrorists, illegal drugs and firearms, has detained a notorious drug peddler with firearms and drugs in the Alikhali area of Hnila Union in Teknaf Upazila.

“Based on information about drug trafficking, the Navy’s Special Operations Team in Teknaf arrested Md Rafiq alais Barmaiya Rafiq, a drug dealer, from the nearby Jamai Bazar area of Alikhali here yesterday,” said a release of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Directorate this afternoon.

Subsequently, the Navy team conducted a search operation in the area adjacent to Chowdhurypara Bridge and recovered 50,000 pieces of Yaba and one foreign pistol from a bag kept under a pile of soil, the release mentioned.

The detained drug dealer was handed over to Teknaf Police Station along with the recovered weapons and drugs for legal action.

The detainee is also an accused of several drug-related cases, including drug trafficking with Teknaf Police Station, local police said.

In order to implement the instructions of the government and the Election Commission ahead of the upcoming 13th Jatiya Sangsad (JS) polls, the Navy is actively performing its duties in ensuring the security of the sea and coastal areas, as well as recovering illegal and looted weapons, preventing internal terrorism, drugs and other crimes.

With the aim of intensifying country’s overall security and curbing crime, about 5,000 Navy personnel have been deployed in 16 parliamentary constituencies in eight districts to maintain a peaceful election environment, ISPR added.