The Bangladesh Coast Guard detained 12 suspected smugglers and seized a large consignment of stolen coal worth approximately Tk 11 million during an operation in Barishal. Acting on a tip-off, Coast Guard personnel launched a raid early Friday morning near Anand Ghat in the Charmonai area under Kotwali police station. They intercepted a suspicious lighter vessel carrying around 1,100 metric tons of illegally obtained coal. Preliminary interrogation revealed that the coal had been unlawfully taken from a foreign ship anchored at Mongla’s Hiron Point. The seized coal, vessel, and detainees were later handed over to Barishal Kotwali Police Station for further legal action, according to Coast Guard media officer Lieutenant Commander Siam-ul-Haque.