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Türkiye’s Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced that security forces seized more than 12 million cannabis and skunk plants in a major anti-narcotics operation in the southeastern province of Diyarbakir — enough to potentially produce over 100 tons of powdered cannabis.
The large-scale operation, conducted by the gendarmerie with support from aerial surveillance systems, led to the arrest and detention of 22 suspects. All have been formally charged and remanded into custody..
According to Minister Yerlikaya, the operation was carried out in coordination with the Lice Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, the Turkish Gendarmerie’s General Command, and specialized units in intelligence, counterterrorism, and narcotics.
“A total of 12,389,000 cannabis and skunk plants, along with 127 kilograms of processed cannabis, were seized,” Yerlikaya said in a statement posted on social media.
The operations were focused in the Lice district of Diyarbakir, a region historically associated with illegal cannabis cultivation. Authorities deployed 143 operational teams, involving 1,780 personnel, supported by an S-70 utility helicopter, an ATAK combat helicopter, two armed unmanned aerial vehicles (JIHAs), and remote sensing technologies.
Additional support came from the provincial gendarmerie commands of Mus, Batman, Bingol, Mardin, Sanliurfa, and Elazig.
Minister Yerlikaya praised the coordination and execution of the operation, commending the Diyarbakir Governor, Lice District Governor, and the prosecutorial and security teams involved.
The seizure marks one of the largest cannabis-related busts in Türkiye’s recent history, as the government continues its intensified efforts to combat narcotics trafficking and production.
TWEET: Türkiye’s Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announces the seizure of 12.3 million cannabis and skunk plants—enough to produce over 100 tons of cannabis
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