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Turkish customs seized ₺98.5 billion ($2.29 billion) worth of contraband goods and narcotics in 2025, a 79% increase from the previous year, Turkish Trade Minister Omer Bolat announced on Monday.
Bolat spoke at the "2025 Customs Protection Anti-Smuggling Activities Meeting" at the Customs Protection General Directorate Command Control Center.
"In 2025, seizures worth ₺98.5 billion, nearly ₺100 billion, of commercial goods and narcotics were made, a 79% increase compared to last year," Bolat noted.
Drug enforcement is among the ministry's top priorities, with coordinated operations conducted with the Interior Ministry, General Directorate of Security, Gendarmerie General Command and Coast Guard Command, Bolat said.
"This year, we achieved a record drug seizure of 33.66 tons worth ₺45 billion ($1.04 billion), a 38% increase in quantity and a 47% increase in value," Bolat said.
Last year, customs seized 24.33 tons of narcotics worth ₺30.55 billion ($711.5 million).
Major seizures in 2025 included 1,869 kilograms of methamphetamine at Gurbulak Border Gate in a single operation, 1,154 kilograms of cannabis at Tekirdag Port, and 869 kilograms of cannabis at Hamzabeyli Border Gate.
Seizures of contraband commercial goods reached ₺53.7 billion ($1.25 billion) in 2025, a 117% increase from last year, Bolat said.
Seized goods included tobacco and tobacco products worth ₺1.4 billion ($32.6 million) across 2,434 incidents, textiles primarily fabrics, worth ₺5.065 billion ($118 million), and approximately 19 tons of precious metals and gold.
Fuel smuggling seizures totaled 3,725 tons worth ₺152 million ($3.54 million).
Bolat highlighted efforts against electronic cigarettes, "which some try to portray as harmless," adding, "In 2025, 10,705,000 electronic cigarette devices and components worth ₺571 million were seized."
Customs intervened in 102 incidents involving illegally imported currency worth ₺514 million ($11.9 million), Bolat said.
Seizures in agriculture and livestock, important for public health, totaled ₺147 million ($3.42 million).
Bolat noted the steady increase in seizure values over recent years: ₺7.8 billion in 2021, ₺12 billion in 2022, ₺23.1 billion in 2023, and ₺55.22 billion in 2024. With drug seizure values, a similar trend emerged: ₺4.75 billion in 2021, ₺6.6 billion in 2022, ₺5.5 billion in 2023, and ₺30.55 billion in 2024.
Customs protection units, staffed by 17,000 personnel, conducted inspections of 187 million passengers (up from 176 million last year), 8.4 million containers (up from 8.1 million), 956,000 aircraft (up from 886,000), 108,000 ships (up from 106,000), 5.1 million trucks, and 5 million passenger vehicles in 2025, Bolat concluded.
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