Tk 5,147cr laundered from Bangladesh annually

Bangladesh has been ranked fifth globally in terms of money laundering through drug trafficking and is the top Asian country in terms of outward illicit financial flows associated with drugs.

According to a report by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), drug trafficking has led to an average annual amount of $481 million or Tk 5,147 crore in outward illicit financial flows from Bangladesh between 2017 and 2021.

The report from UNCTAD provides estimates for the first time by analysing five years of data from 2017 to 2021, encompassing various forms of drug trafficking including methamphetamine tablets, heroin, and synthetic opioids such as buprenorphine and phensidyl.

UNCTAD, in collaboration with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), which focuses on drugs and crime-related issues, estimated the illicit financial flows associated with drugs based on data provided by the respective countries. The report highlights that Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Colombia, Ecuador, Maldives, Mexico, Myanmar, Nepal, and Peru have generated the first-ever national estimates of illicit financial flows related to drug trafficking, human trafficking, and migrant smuggling with the assistance of UNODC.

According to the data, Mexico occupies the first position globally in terms of illegal drug money flows, followed by Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bangladesh respectively. Among Asian countries, Bangladesh leads the list, followed by Maldives and Nepal. Afghanistan and Myanmar rank fourth and fifth among the top five Asian countries on the list.