Istanbul police seize medicine to be smuggled to Egypt, Syria

ISTANBUL – Anadolu Agency

DHA photo

Istanbul police seized 2,700 prescription drugs, including ones to treat cancer and diabetes, before the goods were smuggled to Egypt and Syria during a raid on Feb. 16 on an organized gang.

Three alleged smugglers, which included one Egyptian national, were detained as part of simultaneous operations held in seven districts of Istanbul on Feb. 16. An Istanbul court, however, ruled for the release of three suspects detained on the Feb. 16 raids, to pend trial without arrest.

Turkish police started an investigation into the suspects after it noticed gang members had bought many pills under the name of real patients in Istanbul, the southern provinces of Adana and Mersin, and the southeastern province of Diyarbakır. Gang members had bought approximately 2,700 pills that treated cancer, hemophilia, diabetes and infections in organ transplant recipients. 

Istanbul police carried out operations in Istanbul’s Fatih, Esenyurt, Güngören, Şişli, Gaziosmanpaşa, Zeytinburnu and Avcılar districts at some 10 addresses. Police seized a total of 1.2 million Turkish Liras of drugs.

Police sources said the gang had planned to illegally smuggle the pills to Egypt and Syria.