The High Court on Sunday ordered the authorities concerned to submit a comprehensive list of the country's top drug traffickers.
It asked the the director general of the Department of Narcotics Control to compile and present this list within a month.
The HC bench of Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice Khijir Hayat passed the order with a rule in response to a supplementary writ petition over money laundering.
The bench HC bench also ordered an investigation into allegations of money laundering associated with drug trafficking as reported by national media outlets.
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU), National Board of Revenue (NBR), and Department of Narcotics Control have been tasked with conducting the investigation and submitting their reports within two months.
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In the rule, the court sought explanation as to why the authorities’ failure in taking legal action as per the existing law against individuals and organizations involved in drug trafficking and money laundering should not be deemed beyond legal authority and why order should n not be given to take action against individuals and organizations involved in drug trafficking g and money laundering.
The supplementary petition was filed by Supreme Court lawyer Subir Nandi Das on June 13.
According to media reports published on June 11, approximately $481 million, equivalent to around TK 5,147 crore, is smuggled out of Bangladesh annually due to drug trafficking.
Bangladesh currently ranks as the fifth-largest contributor to global drug trafficking, according to a report published by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) on June 8.
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The report focused on illicit financial flows and shed light on the alarming extent of illegal drug money circulation.
According to the UNCTAD report, Mexico holds the top position worldwide for illegal drug money flows, followed by Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bangladesh. Furthermore, Bangladesh leads Asian nations in terms of drug money laundering.
Maldives, Nepal, Afghanistan, and Myanmar occupy second to fifth positions, respectively.