50 detained in Diyarbakır drug raids

DİYARBAKIR – Doğan News Agency

Some 50 suspects were detained on Oct. 25 in Turkey’s southeastern province of Diyarbakır in a large scale anti-narcotic operation which was attended by some 800 police and backed with choppers.

Police raided some 101 houses and offices, led by Diyarbakır Police Department head Recep Güven, and with the order from the Diyarbakır Public Prosecutor after the sunset in the Sur, Yenişehir, Kayapınar and Bağlar districts of the city.

Diyarbakır Governor Cahit Kıraç, said 198 operations had been launched since May and 47,893,000 cannabis sativa plants were destroyed, an amount equal to 16,309 kilograms of marijuana.

“The operation was carried out in a field of 5,000 hectares, and 516 suspects were detained,” Kıraç said.

Police seized 87 kilograms of marijuana, 26 kilograms of cannabis sativa, 10,341 pills of various drugs, a hunting rifle, a handgun and 26,000 Turkish Liras. The detained suspects are accused of drug dealing, particularly targeting students with the sale of drugs.