Guyanese National Arrested With 8.6kg of Cocaine at Dhaka Airport
Bangladeshi authorities arrested a Guyanese woman at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka with 8.6 kilograms of cocaine, one of the largest seizures in recent years. Officials said the drugs were not intended for local use but rather part of a larger international trafficking network using Bangladesh as a transit point.
Arrest and Seizure
The suspect, identified as Karen Petula Stuffle, was detained in the early hours of Thursday after arriving from Doha. Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate (CIID) officials discovered 22 capsule-shaped packages hidden in her luggage. Tests confirmed the contents were cocaine with an estimated street value of Tk 130 crore.
“She posed as a tourist to avoid detection, but her movements and luggage drew suspicion,” said CIID Director General Mohammad Neazur Rahman. “This is one of the largest cocaine hauls in recent times.”
Investigators revealed Stuffle had traveled from Brazil to Doha before flying into Dhaka. Officials noted she had a previous conviction for carrying cocaine in her home country of Guyana.
Bangladesh as a Transit Hub
Authorities emphasized that cocaine use inside Bangladesh remains virtually nonexistent. Instead, traffickers are believed to be exploiting the country’s airports as passageways to smuggle cocaine to Europe, North America, and India.
According to the Department of Narcotics Control (DNC), nearly all cocaine intercepted in Bangladesh in the past decade originated from South America, particularly Peru and Colombia, where the drug is primarily produced.
“We have not found any significant cases of cocaine addiction inside Bangladesh,” said Khurshid Alam, deputy director of DNC intelligence. “In rare instances, people who became addicted abroad returned home and sought rehabilitation here. Locally, the drug is virtually unavailable.”
Recent Cocaine Seizures
Over the past five to six years, law enforcement agencies have seized around 30 kilograms of cocaine in Bangladesh. In January 2023, Malawian national Nomthandazo Towera Soko, 35, was arrested with 8.3 kilograms of cocaine at the same airport. That case led to the arrests of seven others from Malawi, Cameroon, Nigeria, and Bangladesh, though investigators said the Nigerian ringleader remains at large.
Officials noted that while most seizures occur at Dhaka airport, some consignments have slipped past customs and were later recovered in raids outside the airport premises.
Investigations Into Wider Networks
The CIID, DNC, and police are now investigating whether Stuffle had local collaborators. “We will probe if any Bangladeshis are linked to this international racket,” said Bashir Uddin, director of operations at the DNC.
The agencies believe traffickers are deliberately recruiting foreign couriers with previous drug-related records, hoping to avoid drawing suspicion. Officials also said Stuffle had planned to stay in Bangladesh for about a month before moving the drugs to another destination.
Global Smuggling Patterns
Cocaine trafficking networks typically rely on South America as the production hub, with smugglers routing shipments through various countries in Asia and Africa to avoid detection in more heavily monitored Western airports.
Bangladesh’s location and growing international flight connections make it attractive as a transit country, even though local demand for cocaine is negligible. Authorities believe traffickers exploit vulnerabilities in customs and security systems, as well as the lack of domestic cocaine use, to pass drugs undetected.
Next Steps
Stuffle is currently in custody as officials prepare to file charges under Bangladesh’s strict narcotics laws. If convicted, she faces a potential death sentence or life imprisonment, depending on the outcome of the trial.
Officials stressed that the seizure underscores the need for tighter surveillance at airports and stronger intelligence-sharing with international law enforcement to disrupt global drug syndicates.
“This arrest shows that international traffickers are trying to use Bangladesh as a transit hub,” a senior investigator said. “Our message is clear: Bangladesh will not allow itself to be used in the global cocaine trade.”
