DHAKA, Feb 18, 2026 (BSS) - The Bangladesh Navy has detained 11 people and seized an engine-run boat with 740 sacks of cement being smuggled to Myanmar through the Bay of Bengal adjacent to Saint Martin's Island.

"Based on secret information, a Navy team seized a water vessel FB Runa Akhtar 31 miles from St. Martin's Lighthouse in the vicinity yesterday. Eleven people were detained and seized 740 bags of Bangladeshi diamond cement being smuggled to Myanmar," said a release of Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) Directorate this afternoon.

The seized goods and the arrested persons were handed over to the Navy's Forward Base St. Martin for legal action, it said.

Apart from maintaining the security of the sea and coastal areas, the Navy contingent has been conducting regular patrols to protect the sovereignty of the country's maritime borders, ensure maritime security, and establish good governance at sea, the ISPR added.