Turkey drug crackdown nets multi‑city seizures and celebrity arrests

Turkish law‑enforcement carried out a series of drug operations across the country. In Istanbul, simultaneous raids in Beylikdüzü, Büyükçekmece and Kağıthane seized 45 kg of skunk cannabis and detained four suspects. In Sakarya’s Erenler and Serdivan districts, police recovered raw material sufficient to produce about nine kilograms of synthetic bonzai, along with small quantities of synthetic cannabinoids and methamphetamine, leading to five arrests. A separate “torbacı” crackdown in Malatya resulted in the seizure of 3,026 synthetic‑drug pills, 72 g of methamphetamine, 8 g of synthetic cannabinoids and a precision scale; nine people were apprehended and later jailed. In Şırnak, two Iranian nationals were caught with 939 g of methamphetamine concealed in their stomachs and were detained. An operation in İzmir intercepted 11 kg of synthetic cannabinoids and over 196,000 pill‑type doses, with three suspects taken into custody. Concurrently, a high‑profile investigation led by the Bakırköy Public Prosecutor’s Office targeted 25 well‑known figures from the entertainment and media sectors, including singer Ilyas Yalçıntaş and entrepreneur Fatih Aksoy; several were placed under arrest and some later sentenced, while the probe continues. The coordinated actions illustrate a nationwide effort to curb drug trafficking and related crimes.