Nearly 28,000 vehicles searched in anti-drug op

ANKARA

Nearly 28,000 vehicles have been searched as part of a simultaneous anti-narcotics operation held in all 81 provinces of the country, Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu has announced.

For the first time in 81 provinces, 3,118 teams, 9,674 personnel and 114 narcotics detector dogs searched numerous vehicles within the scope of the prevention of in-vehicle drug use.

In the operation, a total of 27,707 vehicles were searched.

Underlining that his ministry’s fight against drugs continues in all aspects, Soylu also thanked the police officers who took part in the operation.

Large-scale anti-narcotics operations are ongoing in the country.

Soylu said earlier that they continue to carry out the largest drug operations in the history of the country, and an average of 5,000 drug dealers or manufacturers were detained per week.

Accordingly, a simultaneous narcotics operation called “rooting out” was carried out and some 132 suspects were nabbed in the northwestern province of Bursa.

Within the second operation within the scope of “rooting out,” 95 suspects were detained.

“This struggle continues with determination. We have faith, will and determination. We have sworn to root out this matter,” Soylu stated.

The number of drug-related deaths in 2016 was 941, while this number has decreased to 270 in 2021, thanks to the efforts of all ministries, the government and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Soylu said in September.

Some 70 percent of the drug seized in Türkiye were captured in the eastern provinces, while most of the methamphetamine seized was smuggled into the country from the east.

“Türkiye has achieved much success in the fight against drugs compared to other countries. Last year, around 2.5 tons of methamphetamine were seized. This year, more than three times that number have been seized,” he noted.