Smuggled cobra venom worth 7.3 million Turkish liras seized in Turkey’s Bilecik

BİLECİK

Smuggled cobra venom with a market value of approximately 7.3 million Turkish Liras ($1.9 million) stored in 93 tubes was seized in the central Anatolian province of Bilecik on March 14.

Gendarmerie forces detected the suspected cobra venom smugglers when they contacted some chemistry facilities and drug firms in Turkey.

Following a technical and physical examination, the gendarmerie detected a suspicious vehicle and stopped it on the Osmaneli-Sakarya highway in Bilecik.

Cobra venom in 93 different tubes was seized during the search and the four suspects who were in the vehicle were detained by gendarmerie forces.

On Dec. 11, Istanbul police seized a total of 1,725 tubes containing cobra venom smuggled from Syria, with a market value of approximately 30 million Turkish Liras ($7.8 million). This amount is reported to be the highest amount ever seized in a raid in Turkey.

Cobra venom is used in various industries, including medicine, chemistry, cosmetics and arms. Considered to be the world’s second most expensive venom after scorpion toxin, cobra venom is produced in limited amounts in Turkey.