Over 10,000 drug dealers arrested in six months across Turkey

ANKARA - Anadolu Agency

A total of 10,639 drug dealers have been arrested in Turkey in the first six months of the year.

Security forces launched 71,046 operations against drug dealers in the said period, apprehending 97,906 suspects.

According to data compiled by state-run Anadolu Agency, the number of drug-related incidents increased by 27 percent while the number of suspects rose by 24 percent in the first half of the year compared to the same period of 2017.

In those operations, security forces seized 9,608 tons of heroin, which is equal to the same substance seized in the first halves of 2016 and 2017 combined.

The amount of pills seized increased nearly four times to 4.3 million units.

“Turkish police have seized drugs worth of $73 million in the last six months,” Customs and Trade Minister Bülent Tüfenkci had said on June 23.

Turkey invested nearly $60 million in the last five years to increase its capabilities in the fight against drug trafficking, Tüfenkci added.

By using 15 advanced tools that detect 16,000 chemicals, advanced X-ray machines, 25 stand-by boats around port cities, and sniffer dogs, continuous operations are carried out to dismantle drug-smuggling across the country, he said.