Bangladesh’s Department of Narcotics Control has identified 12 alleged drug “godfathers” and 225 listed wholesale drug dealers across 10 districts of Khulna Division, according to its divisional intelligence office. The report, published on August 24, 2026, says recent operations have also recovered firearms and ammunition alongside narcotics, raising concerns about possible links between drug and weapons trafficking. Authorities say couriers and retail sellers are more frequently arrested than the alleged main controllers.

Five of the 12 identified figures are in Bagerhat, three in Satkhira, two in Narail, and one each in Khulna and Jhenaidah. Officials said the suspects face multiple cases and have been arrested at different times. Drug orders and deliveries have shifted from fixed locations to mobile phones, WhatsApp and messaging applications, with couriers delivering consignments at designated times and places.

Officials said yaba is now the most commonly seized drug, followed by cannabis and phensedyl. Investigators are examining more than 12 people allegedly involved in arms trading, as well as drug-finance sources and transactions. The amended Narcotics Control Act, 2026 includes technology-enabled drug transactions and digital-payment-related activities as offences.