Probe on shipment of arms widening

ANKARA - Hürriyet Daily News

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As Turkey’s investigation continues over a cargo of weapons shipped from Turkey to Yemen inside biscuit boxes, a Turkish official has revealed details of the shipment procedure on the Turkish side.

The firm, named Dorcas, had previously exported weapons to European countries twice, all in legal ways, a Turkish customs union official said on condition of anonymity.

When the firm notified Turkish authorities that it would export biscuits to Yemen, the system registered a “red alert,” meaning the cargo must be checked carefully. In such cases, 20 percent of the cargo is randomly selected, opened and physically searched, according to the official, who continued that at Turkey’s Mersin Port, where the cargo was inspected before shipment, a customs official opened 20 percent of the cargo and found no weapons inside.

Turkish authorities are now further inspecting whether the arms were in the unopened part of the cargo, or if the content of the biscuit boxes was manipulated on the way to Yemen after the ship departed from Turkey.