Bangladesh Ansar and Village Defence Party (Ansar-VDP) members detained four alleged drug users with narcotics during a security operation at the 300-bed General Hospital in Narayanganj.
The suspects were caught red-handed on Monday evening while Ansar personnel were on routine security duty at the hospital. Yaba tablets, cannabis and drug paraphernalia, including razor blades, were recovered from their possession.
Hospital authorities handed the detainees over to the local police for legal action on charges of possessing and consuming drugs and disrupting the safety and environment of the healthcare facility.
The operation came just hours after the Jatiya Sangsad passed an amendment introducing the death penalty as the maximum punishment for drug trafficking.
Following the passage of the law, the Director General of Bangladesh Ansar and Village Defence Party instructed all members of the force to strictly enforce a zero-tolerance policy against drugs across the country.
Ansar-VDP said its members remain on high alert at government hospitals, airports and other key state installations, while continuing anti-drug vigilance and public safety efforts at the grassroots level
