Police seize over 5 tons of marijuana in SE Turkey

DİYARBAKIR-Anadolu Agency

Police in southeastern Turkey seized over five tons of marijuana in anti-terror operations on Nov. 15, officials said.

Police in Diyarbakır province seized 5,038 kilograms (11,107 pounds) of marijuana, 5,560 root cannabis and ammunition as part of Turkey's Operation Kıran, local authorities said in a statement.

Police also destroyed two shelters and improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

On Aug. 17, Turkey launched Operation Kıran in the country's southeast against YPG/PKK terrorists in Van, Hakkari and Şırnak provinces, followed by the launch of Operation Kıran-2 on Aug. 27 in Mardin, Şırnak and Batman provinces. Four more iterations of the operation followed, including Operation Kıran-6, launched on Wednesday.

The PKK has reportedly financed its terrorist activities through the illegal drug trade since as early as the 1980s, with Interpol estimating up to 80% of the European illicit drug markets being supplied by PKK-controlled trafficking networks.

Turkish authorities have been confiscating narcotics shipments owned or operated by the PKK since the 1980s.