At the beginning of June, the CID-led team investigating the drug smuggling to the UK sent the dossier on banking affairs of the 12 companies back to the Bangladesh Bank (BB) and requested it to find out whether any suspicious transaction was made. But the BB has yet to examine the reports, delaying the probe, said a source in the CID.

"We have reminded Bangladesh Bank several times to complete the checking as soon as possible, but the section concerned of the bank has not been responsive at all," a top official of Criminal Investigation Department (CID) yesterday told The Daily Star, seeking anonymity.

A BB official preferring not to be named said checking such huge information alongside regular duties is very time consuming.

Following a request of the CID-led team, the BB on May 3 asked all commercial banks to furnish it with detailed banking information of those 12 business houses within a week.

As per the directives, the banks submitted their reports to the central bank but not within the stipulated timescale.

Later, the BB had sent sackfuls of information to the investigation team. But the team, which has a BB representative as its member, returned the reports to the central bank and asked to check whether any illegal or suspected transaction was made in the course of the widely-publicised drug running.

Nine of the 12 companies share the same address which is 9, DIT Avenue, Motijheel, Dhaka. They are BD Foods Limited, Universal Trade International, Al Ajmir Trade International, King & Company, Camellia International, Oriental Export, Greenway Traders, Famous Business Internationals, and BD Sea Food.

The other three firms are BD Food Corporation, yet another sister concern of BD Foods Limited, NHB Corporation and Rainbow International.

Police arrested Badruddoza Momen on May 14 after two of his associates had confessed to smuggling 22.5kg heroin to the UK on Momen's orders.

He was arrested in connection with two cases filed against him--one with Sutrapur Police Station for smuggling 54kg heroin to the UK, and the other with Motijheel Police Station for trafficking 22.5kg heroin to the same country.

Badruddoza, now behind bars, admitted to the interrogators that he had smuggled illegal goods to the UK a few days before his arrest.

Kazi Zafar Reza, proprietor of Rainbow Enterprise, and Abul Bashar, owner of Green Haven Enterprise, had also confessed to a magistrate that they had smuggled 54kg heroin to the same country.

The UK customs in May 2005 accused five Bangladeshi business firms of smuggling heroin to the United Kingdom.

An NBR investigation confirmed the validity of the UK customs' allegations and involvement of the five companies in the dirty racket.

Later, the home ministry formed a team having representatives from CID, Rapid Action Battalion, Special Branch, Bangladesh Bank and Department of Narcotics Control to probe the drug smuggling.

Meanwhile, the prosecution yesterday petitioned the High Court to recall the July 9 order granting three months ad interim bail to BD foods Chairman Badruddoza Chowdhury Momen.

The HC bench comprising Justices Ali Asgar Khan and Emdadul Haque, which granted ad interim bail to Badruddoza, also fixed today for hearing the petition.

It will also hear today the petition filed earlier by Badruddoza's lawyers seeking bail for him in connection with the case filed with Motijheel Police Station.