Trade Ministry’s first criminal lab starts service

ANKARA – Demirören News Agency

A modern and full-fledged criminal laboratory belonging to the Trade Ministry has been opened for service in Ankara, Trade Minister Ruhsar Pekcan has said in a written statement.

“The lab will aid customs enforcement. With the quick analysis in this lab, we will have a greater impact on investigations,” she said.

“At customs offices, harbors and airports, contraband like drugs is captured every day,” she said. But now, thanks to the new lab, authorities will be able to make a rapid analysis of any confiscated material.

The ministry’s Criminal Laboratory Directorate is located in a closed compound inside a logistical base in Ankara. The lab has small departments overseeing work such as analyzing fingerprints, voice and data, molecular genetics and narcotics.

After an analysis of drugs or other evidence, the departments for the fingerprints, ballistic control and molecular genetics will become involved in any investigation, the statement said.

“While we continue to invest in technology to prevent crime, we are increasing our corporate capacity to detect and analyze contraband and evidence,” Pekcan said.

Officials in the lab are using methods and equipment that are similar to that of the German Customs Criminal Service and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, according to the statement.