Children account for 27.4% of drug dealers in Dhaka: Study

A recent study has revealed a concerning level of involvement of minors in Dhaka’s illicit drug trade, with those aged 15 or younger accounting for 27.4% of the drug sellers surveyed. The study found that children were most commonly involved in selling yaba.

The study, titled “Unveiling Patterns and Sociodemographic Characteristics of Drug Trafficking in Dhaka City, Bangladesh,” was published on August 10 in the international research journal PLOS ONE.

Data for the study were collected between April 23, 2023 and February 5, 2024, based on face-to-face interviews with 1,016 people involved in drug sales in Dhaka. The participants had an average age of 26.7 years.

The study found that, besides yaba, children were also significantly involved in heroin sales. Lack of employment opportunities was the most frequently cited reason for children becoming involved in drug dealing.

The study also highlighted the participants’ difficult socioeconomic circumstances. About 55.7% had primary-level education or less. Around 28.6% were living on the streets, while another 10.4% described themselves as floating or homeless. Nearly one-quarter of the women surveyed said they were involved in sex work. Coercion was also identified as one of the factors contributing to the involvement of women and children in the drug trade.

The study found geographic differences in the sale of different drugs. Among the participants, 253 reported selling only cannabis, 285 only yaba, and 228 both cannabis and yaba.

Those involved exclusively in yaba sales were more commonly found around Kamalapur Railway Station and in Badda. Sellers of both cannabis and yaba were more prevalent in Farmgate and Tejgaon, while people involved in selling cannabis and heroin were more frequently found in Savar and Paltan.

The study also described several routes through which drugs enter Dhaka. It said one major heroin route runs from Lahore in Pakistan through the Wagah border and Patna in India before entering Bangladesh. For cannabis, routes from India through Brahmanbaria and Cumilla were identified. The study also cited routes through India’s Mizoram and Meghalaya, in addition to Myanmar, as sources of yaba entering Bangladesh. The drugs are then transported to Dhaka’s markets through various routes, according to the study.

However, the researchers cautioned against treating the findings as a comprehensive picture of all drug sellers in Dhaka. The participants were selected using purposive and snowball sampling rather than probability-based random sampling. As a result, the study primarily reflects the characteristics and patterns of a high-risk population involved in the drug trade.

The researchers also noted that the reasons given by participants for becoming involved in drug dealing are descriptive findings based on self-reported information and should not be interpreted as direct evidence of cause-and-effect relationships.