34 suspects arrested in nationwide anti-narcotics crackdown
Narcotics police officers from the Anti-Narcotic Crimes Directorate with reflective vests, Türkiye, September 2024. (AA Photo)
Türkiye’s Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced the results of the “Narkokapan-1” operations, a series of anti-narcotics raids conducted across 20 provinces.
Coordinated by the Public Prosecutor’s Offices and the Gendarmerie General Command’s Narcotics Crimes Department, the operations led to the arrest of 37 individuals, with 34 placed under custody.
Massive drug seizures in multi-province raids
The operations, carried out by provincial gendarmerie units in cities such as Antalya, Diyarbakir, Istanbul, and Izmir, resulted in the confiscation of:
- 640 kilograms of narcotics
- 225,000 cannabis and skunk plants
- 21,768 drug pills
In a social media statement, Minister Yerlikaya expressed his commitment to combating drug-related crime. He highlighted the country’s goal of making Türkiye an “impregnable fortress” against drugs.
“In the ‘Turkish Century’, one of our biggest goals is to make our country an inaccessible and forbidden fortress against drugs. We continue our fight against both the supply of drugs and the demand for drugs,” Yerlikaya stated.
Legal actions and outcomes of operation
Among the 37 individuals apprehended:
- 34 suspects were arrested and detained.
- Three individuals were placed under judicial control.
Türkiye’s Trade Ministry to visit Syria to ‘help recover lost years’
White House affirms Türkiye has ‘legitimate counterterrorism threat’ on northern Syria
FM Fidan reaffirms Türkiye’s support for Syria’s sovereignty during Riyadh meeting
