Police seize 2 million Turkish Liras worth of synthetic drugs

SAKARYA

Police in the western province of Sakarya seized 2 million Turkish Liras ($362,000) worth of the synthetic drug methamphetamine in a car.

Units from the narcotics department found the substances wrapped in a total of 30 nylon bags. One person was detained on charges of drug trading in the operation in which a sniffer dog was used to find the 4.3 kilogram of methamphetamine.

In a separate operation in the southeastern province of Şanlıurfa, police also found 4 kilograms of methamphetamine in a truck.

Police units stopped and searched the vehicle on the highway connecting Şanlıurfa with neighboring Mardin province.

Two people were detained and an investigation has been launched into the incident.

In several recent anti-trafficking operations at Istanbul’s Atatürk Airport Turkish police seized over 31 kilograms of cocaine, the Trade Ministry announced on Nov. 8.

In one operation, police found 4.6 kilograms of cocaine hidden in 39 wallets in the luggage of an Italian passenger traveling from Sao Paulo, Brazil. In another operation, police followed a Colombian passenger traveling on a charter plane from Bogota, with a Turkish passenger, and found 10.45 kg of cocaine.

Another passenger coming from Bogota carrying 14.2 kg of cocaine in a suitcase was also captured by Turkish police. A Ukrainian woman who came from Sao Paulo was also arrested after police found 67 bags of cocaine in her suitcase.

As part of the country’s domestic anti-drug efforts, Turkey launched 29 percent more operations in the first 10 months of 2018 than the same period last year, Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu said on Nov. 8.

Moreover, in 2017, Turkey launched a total of 70 operations against drug traffickers, versus 68 operations in the first 10 months of 2018, Soylu added.