Turkish narcotics law enforcement operations

Law enforcement agencies in Turkey have conducted several operations targeting drug trafficking and manufacturing.

In Denizli, a large-scale, simultaneous operation targeting street dealers and organized trafficking led to the arrest of 10 suspects. Authorities seized various substances, including methamphetamine, synthetic cannabinoids, heroin, and cannabis, along with drug paraphernalia.

In Istanbul, police operations in the Maltepe and Kartal districts resulted in the arrest of two suspects for drug manufacturing and trafficking. During the Maltepe operation, a suspect fled on foot after ignoring police commands, leading to a chase where 1.175 kilograms of cannabis were recovered. A separate raid on a suspected storage location in Kartal yielded 1.370 kilograms of cocaine and 166,550 TL in cash. In Sultanbeyli, police intercepted a minibus containing 1.642 million synthetic pills, which suspects had reportedly falsely claimed were cancer medications.

In Sakarya, a high-speed chase occurred at the Akyazı toll booths after a suspect driving drugs from Istanbul ignored a command to stop. The suspect drove in the wrong direction, striking vehicles and narrowly missing a truck driver before being intercepted by gendarmerie. Additional searches in Adapazarı and Ferizli uncovered methamphetamine, synthetic cannabinoids, and over 2 kilograms of cannabis, resulting in three arrests.

Other regional operations included the seizure of 7.5 kilograms of cannabis in Antalya, the discovery of a cannabis greenhouse in a butcher shop basement in Bursa, and the recovery of methamphetamine and synthetic cannabinoids in Batman, Malatya, and Kırıkkale. In Zonguldak, five suspects were arrested following the seizure of methamphetamine and cocaine.