Expo Bangladesh to open in London Dec 20
VognoDuut905
The four-day Expo Bangladesh 2006 will begin on December 20 at Old Truman
Brewery of Brick Lane in London instead of Wednesday. Bangladesh-British
Trade Cooperation and Diamond Group of Companies are jointly organising the
event, aiming to showcase local products abroad. The date of the Expo
Bangladesh 2006 has been changed following a request from traders and
exhibitors interested to participate in the exhibition, organisers said. The
United Kingdom is the third largest destination for Bangladesh products
after the USA and Germany, accounting for about 10.91 per cent of total
export in fiscal 2004-05. More than 60 small and medium enterprises of the
country have registered names to showcase their products in the exhibition.
nkdat...@bigmailbox.net
VognoDuut905 wrote:
> Expo Bangladesh to open in London Dec 20
Bangladesh Exporters In Soup For Pushing Heroin Export To UK .....
http://www.thedailystar.net/2006/05/09/d6050901095.htm
Daily Star, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Tuesday, May 9, 2006
72kg more heroin 'smuggled' to UK - Finds primary customs probe
By Shariful Islam
Kazi Zafar Reza, proprietor of Rainbow Enterprise, allegedly trafficked
in 72kg heroin, in addition to BD Foods' 75.5kg, to the UK, said a
source of the Directorate of Customs Intelligence and Investigation.
The source said following information from the British High Commission
in Mumbai in November last year, a primary customs intelligence
investigation found that Zafar, Tipu Enterprise and a company on the
DIT Road in Kakrail were the racket behind the smuggling.
Earlier in May 2005, the UK customs accused five Bangladeshi business
firms--BD Foods Ltd, Emdad Traders, Jamil International, MM Enterprise,
and Green Haven Enterprise--of smuggling 75.5kg heroin to that country
in the guise of food, toiletries, cosmetics and floor tiles.
An investigation by the National Board of Revenue last year confirmed
the validity of the allegations. A four-member team comprising members
of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Special Branch of
Police, Rapid Action Battalion and Bangladesh Bank is now investigating
the smuggling at the directive of the home ministry.
"If the CID quizzes Zafar, the racket involved in smuggling 72kg heroin
will also be revealed," the source said seeking anonymity.
Tipu Enterprise at 52 BK Das Road in Sutrapur area smuggled the drug
through an apparently legitimate consignment of wooden table and other
furniture destined for Southampton port on October 12 last year. The
receiver of the consignment in the UK was a company named Prestige
Tiles.
The British customs managed to detect the smuggling.
Later, the British High Commission in Mumbai informed the matter to the
Directorate of Customs Intelligence and Investigation, Bangladesh. The
authorities concerned, however, started foot-dragging to carry out a
complete investigation and detect the racket.
When contacted, Ibrahim Fatemi, special superintendent of police, CID,
who leads investigation into the smuggling of 75.5kg heroin, said they
are yet to receive any order from the authorities to investigate the
freshly suspected smuggling of 72kg heroin.
Meanwhile, another source of the Directorate of Customs Intelligence
and Investigation yesterday said the authorities formed a team on
Sunday to investigate the matter. The team has already sought for
documents from the customs office at Chittagong Port through which the
consignment of furniture was shipped to the UK.
NAZMUL HAIDER REMANDED FURTHER
Former BD Foods official Nazmul Haider Bhuiyan was shown arrested in
the case filed with the Sutrapur Police Station on Saturday in
connection with smuggling of 54kg heroin to the UK in a consignment of
floor tiles.
The CID yesterday produced him before the Chief Metropolitan
Magistrate's Court, Dhaka with a prayer for 10 days' remand. The court
granted a remand of five days.
The CID filed the case against Zafar and Abul Bashar, proprietor of
Green Haven Enterprise. The two are being quizzed by the CID on remand.
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http://www.thedailystar.net/2006/05/05/d6050501085.htm
Daily Star, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Friday, May 5, 2006
Heroin Smuggling to UK - Firm tries hard to get off the hook
By Shariful Islam
King and Company, a sister concern of BD Foods Ltd and accused with
four other companies of smuggling 75.5kg of heroin to the UK, continues
intense lobbying to clear its name.
In their latest effort, the company authorities have sent a letter to
Finance Minister M Saifur Rahman, requesting him to intervene and have
the smuggling charges against the company dropped, said a source at the
finance ministry.
The letter signed by Managing Director of King and Company Badrul
Haider Chowdhury and dated April 30 claims that the National Board of
Revenue (NBR) investigation did not find its involvement in drug
smuggling.
Copies of the letter were sent to Prime Minister's Office (PMO),
secretaries of different ministries and intelligence agencies.
However, sources said the NBR has many reasons to suspect the company
of drug running.
Mainuddin, manager of the company, while representing BD Foods before
an NBR investigation team last year, had provided false information
about the company's former staff Nazmul Haider Bhuiyan Bulbul. BD Foods
sacked Nazmul only after a newspaper had reported about his role in the
smuggling.
Criminal Investigation Department (CID) arrested Nazmul on April 20.
During interrogation, he admitted his involvement in smuggling heroin
to the UK.
Mainuddin told the NBR investigators last year that the company and
anyone of the company had no contact with Nazmul after he was sacked in
May last year.
But the investigators found that Nazmul had made numerous calls on the
mobiles of Mainuddin and other officials and employees of King and
Company after his sacking.
"Mainuddin could not give any satisfactory answer when investigators
asked him why he gave false statement earlier," the NBR report said.
The NBR report also said Mainuddin did not cooperate with the
investigators. He also did not disclose who owns the 'mysterious'
mobile phone over which Mainuddin and Nazmul had talked several times.
Besides Nazmul, CID has arrested three others including a manager of BD
Corporation, another sister concern of BD Foods.
Of them, Kazi Zafar Reza, owner of Rainbow Enterprise, was arrested at
city's 252, New Elephant Road on April 27, and Abu Bakar Siddique
Mithu, manager of BD Corporation, at Pahartoli in Chittagong on May 3.
Following up the information obtained from Abu Bakar, a CID team
arrested his close aide Mokhlesur Rahman Nayon in Turag area.
Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court, Dhaka yesterday placed Abu Bakar
and Mokhlesur each on a five-day remand after the CID produced the two
with a prayer for 10-day remand.
In the forwarding letter, the investigation officer said they are
members of an international drug cartel. They smuggled out heroin worth
crores of taka, opening fake companies.
A high-powered team comprising officials from the CID, Rapid Action
Battalion (Rab), Special Branch and Bangladesh Bank has interrogated
Mainuddin several times during the last few days, said a CID official
on condition of anonymity.
They have been making significant headway in the probe, he added. But
for the sake of investigation he declined to elaborate on the finds.
Meanwhile, Rowshan Ara, wife of Zafar Reza, claimed her husband to be
innocent. She said the CID has detained her husband to shield the real
culprits. " The truth will come out if they [CID] arrest and
interrogate the BD Foods high-ups," she told The Daily Star.
When this correspondent went to her flat at 252, AL Baraka Tower
yesterday, she talked to the reporter over the intercom. She said her
husband had handed a freight forwarder a cheque for Tk 50,000. Asked
whether the Rainbow Enterprise is housed in the building as mentioned
by the CID, she said she does not know any company by that name.
Abul Bashar, owner of Green Heaven, had requested Zafar to pay the
amount to the freight forwarder, Rowshan added. The investigators have
already found Basher's company to be involved in the widely reported
drug smuggling.
Zafar who would work in the UK on a multiple entry visa has been
staying in Bangladesh since April last year.
Meanwhile, as part of the ongoing investigations, the central bank
yesterday asked all commercial banks to send it within a week a dossier
on transactions and other banking activities of the 12 business houses
that include BD Foods Limited and its nine sister organisations.
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