Death penalty for drug trafficking in cyberspace, bill passed in Parliament

The ‘Narcotics Control (Amendment) Act, 2026’ has been passed in the National Parliament, which has made provision for the formation of a separate tribunal to ensure speedy trial of drug-related cases. The new law provides for death penalty as the maximum punishment for crimes such as illegal purchase, supply, promotion and mediation of drugs in cyberspace or various digital media.
It also provides for a fine of up to Tk 2 million or both. The bill was unanimously passed by voice vote in the National Parliament session held on Monday (July 13) under the chairmanship of Deputy Speaker Barrister Kaiser Kamal.
Earlier, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed moved a motion for the passage of the bill. Although members of the opposition party submitted a proposal for public opinion and sent it to a select committee and proposed amendments, they were rejected by voice vote. The new law states that it will be a punishable offense for any person to illegally purchase, sell, supply, offer, advertise, mediate or communicate with narcotics or psychotropic substances directly or indirectly using cyberspace, digital devices, websites, social media, mobile applications, online platforms, electronic communication systems or any other digital medium.
In addition, if such an offense is committed using or attempting to use digital payment systems, e-wallets, virtual assets or cryptocurrencies, it can be prosecuted under the same law. An important aspect of the new law is that in the prosecution of such offenses, it will not be mandatory to recover the narcotics directly from the accused. The trial can be completed only if the crime can be proven on the basis of digital information and financial transactions. The maximum penalty for this offense is death penalty, imprisonment for any term and a fine of up to Tk 2 million.
The bill further states that if the crime is committed at an international level or is conducted or reorganized by an organized criminal group, the person concerned can be punished with imprisonment for any term, a fine not exceeding Tk 50 lakh, or both.
In addition, cyberspace, digital devices, digital accounts, digital payment systems, e-wallets, virtual assets or cryptocurrencies used in the crime can be blocked, removed, seized, confiscated or vested in favor of the state by the order of the court or the Narcotics Control Tribunal.
To ensure speedy trial, the provision for the establishment of separate Narcotics Control Tribunals in crime-prone areas has also been re-inserted in the law. At the same time, the power to use modern firearms for the Narcotics Control Department and the legal basis for the formation of special dog squads for smuggling and drug detection have also been added.
In the discussion on the bill, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said that there have been allegations of involvement of some members of the law enforcement agencies in drug trafficking. No one is being given any concessions in such incidents and strict administrative and legal action is being taken against those involved.
The statement, which mentioned the purpose and reason for the bill, said that due to the increase in drug addiction and drug-related crimes in the country, cases have been created in the general courts. As a result, it is taking a long time to complete the trial. In this situation, in addition to the formation of a separate tribunal to ensure speedy trial, new legal provisions have been added to suppress technology-based drug crimes. This also includes steps to increase the capacity of the Narcotics Control Department to strengthen operations to prevent drug trafficking in border areas.
After the bill was introduced in the National Parliament on June 28, it was sent to the Parliamentary Standing Committee for further review. The bill was passed in an amended form after considering the recommendations of the committee.