As the country remains heavily engaged with preparations for the 13th National Parliamentary Election, drug traffickers appear to be exploiting the situation, with repeated attempts to smuggle narcotics into Bangladesh. Acting on information from the International Narcotics Control Board about the use of new drugs in e-cigarettes and vapes, the Department of Narcotics Control (DNC) carried out an operation in Mirpur on December 12, stopping a young man while he was riding a bicycle. Two vape cartridges were recovered from his bag, and a subsequent raid at his residence led to the seizure of three more cartridges containing a total of 340 milliliters of liquid identified as a new synthetic drug known as MDMB, reportedly smuggled from Malaysia. In a separate incident on January 11, seven people died in Rangpur after consuming adulterated liquor, with investigations revealing that the toxic alcohol had been produced at a factory in Gazipur, where authorities later seized more than 2,200 liters of rectified spirit and arrested two individuals. Similar illegal liquor production was also uncovered in a flat in Dhaka’s Bashundhara Residential Area, where around 2,000 liters of locally produced and foreign alcohol were recovered. Most recently, on February 3, a large consignment of yaba tablets was discovered hidden beneath the seats of a sleeper coach bus bound for Cox’s Bazar, while another operation in Uttara on the same day led to the seizure of nearly 70,000 yaba pills and the arrest of six suspects. Crime analyst Dr. Touhidul Haque warned that drug syndicates often intensify their activities during election periods, when law enforcement agencies are preoccupied with electoral duties, emphasizing the need for uninterrupted and stronger anti-narcotics operations. DNC Director (Operations) Md. Bashir Ahmed stated that following the announcement of the election schedule, field officers were instructed to intensify raids, resulting in over 4,000 cases, more than 4,200 arrests, and the seizure of large quantities of cannabis, yaba, and new synthetic drugs, while confirming that all DNC personnel leave has been cancelled since January 6 and a nationwide special drive will continue until February 14 to prevent any deterioration of law and order.