Over 500 kilograms of cocaine seized on Turkish-flagged ship off Guinea

ISTANBUL

More than 500 kilograms of cocaine have been seized on a Turkish-flagged fishing boat off the coast of Guinea and 10 people have been detained in connection with the drug smuggling, the Turkish Directorate General of Security has announced.

Turkish authorities from the intelligence department of the police, local security directorates in the southern provinces of Hatay and Mersin as well as Istanbul have passed information they collected on international drug trafficking activity to Spanish and Guinean security units, the authority explained in a statement.

Acting on the information provided, Spanish and Guinean law enforcement officers launched an operation on Feb. 6 on a Turkish-flagged fishing boat of the coast off Guinea and seized 528 kilograms of cocaine, the statement added.

During the operation, five suspects on the vessel were detained and another five people, who are believed to be involved in international drug trafficking in Turkey, including the ringleader of the crime organization, were also taken under custody, the statement said.