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Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced that 65 suspects have been detained, with 35 formally arrested, in large-scale anti-narcotics operations carried out across the Tekirdag province.
Dubbed “Narkokapan–Tekirdag,” the operations targeted street-level drug dealers—known locally as “torbaci”—operating in neighborhoods and alleys. The busts were the result of a three-month-long investigation, focusing on sellers using encrypted messaging apps and social media to traffic narcotics.
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The raids were conducted simultaneously across the districts of Suleymanpasa, Cerkezkoy, Corlu, Ergene, Hayrabolu, and Malkara, involving:
In a statement on social media, Minister Yerlikaya emphasized the scope and precision of the operation: “This operation took three months to prepare. Our primary targets were street dealers selling poison to our youth. We carried out field analysis and surveillance in detail—both technical and physical—mapping out the full network. Once we had the evidence, we launched.”
Out of the 65 suspects detained, 35 were remanded in custody, while the remaining 30 were released under judicial control.
Yerlikaya reaffirmed Türkiye’s determination to combat narcotics at all levels, stating that such coordinated crackdowns will continue nationwide.
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