Major Drug Bust in Turkey: 1.3 Tons of Narcotics Seized Across 17 Provinces
In a major crackdown on drug manufacturing and trafficking, Turkey’s Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced the seizure of 1 ton 331 kilograms of narcotics, 9 million 258 thousand cannabis and skunk plants, and 4,481 drug pills. The “NARKOÇELİK-29” operations, conducted by the Gendarmerie across 17 provinces, led to the arrest of 103 drug dealers, of whom 45 were detained and 36 placed under judicial control.
The operations, coordinated by the Gendarmerie General Command Anti-Smuggling and Organized Crime Department, involved regional commands in Diyarbakır, Ordu, Kahramanmaraş, Gaziantep, Sakarya, Antalya, Malatya, Edirne, Erzurum, Bingöl, Aydın, Samsun, Konya, Kilis, Siirt, Van, and Adana. Minister Yerlikaya emphasized the government’s determination to rid the country of drug traffickers and street dealers.
Among the notable operations:
– Kilis: 125 kg of methamphetamine and 1.5 kg of marijuana were seized. 14 street dealers apprehended, 2 detained.
– Van: 17 kg of methamphetamine and 14 kg of marijuana were found. One dealer detained.
– Aydın: 2 kg of methamphetamine seized, 11 street dealers caught, 2 detained.
– Diyarbakır: 3.57 million cannabis plants, 901 thousand skunk plants, and 1.08 tons of marijuana confiscated. 8 dealers caught, 5 detained.
– Ordu: Various narcotics seized, 6 street dealers apprehended and detained.
– Kahramanmaraş: 4 kg of marijuana and 1,125 cannabis plants discovered. 8 dealers apprehended, 4 detained.
– Gaziantep: 2 kg of synthetic cannabinoids (bonzai) and 4 kg of marijuana seized. 7 dealers caught, 4 detained.
– Sakarya: 18 kg of marijuana found, one dealer detained.
– Antalya: 21 kg of marijuana, 1 kg of bonzai, and 1,137 cannabis plants seized. 22 dealers apprehended, 11 detained.
– Malatya: 1.5 kg of marijuana, 3,121 drug pills, and 879 cannabis plants discovered. 5 dealers apprehended, 4 detained.
– Edirne: 4.13 million cannabis plants seized, one dealer under judicial control.
– Erzurum: 612 thousand cannabis plants found, 5 dealers caught.
– Bingöl: 40 thousand cannabis plants seized.
– Samsun: 6 kg of marijuana, 650 cannabis plants, and various drug pills found. 10 dealers apprehended, 2 detained.
– Konya: 1,360 drug pills seized, 2 dealers detained.
– Siirt: 7.5 kg of marijuana and 20 cannabis plants seized, one dealer detained.
– Adana: 21 kg of marijuana found, one dealer under judicial control.
Minister Ali Yerlikaya praised the heroic efforts of the Gendarmerie, stating, “We are determined to cleanse our country of drug traffickers and street dealers. Congratulations to our gallant Gendarmerie for their actions.”
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