Turkish police seize 825 kg of heroin: interior minister
Straddling Asia and Europe, Turkiye lies on several major smuggling routes and is the main entry point for heroin on the European market.
'In operations across seven provinces, centered in (the southern city of) Adana.. we seized 825 kilogrammes (1,818 pounds) of heroin and arrested 30 suspected drug traffickers,' he wrote on X.
In a simultaneous operation, police raided 38 different addresses in Adana, Hakkari, Hatay, Istanbul, Van, Diyarbakir, and Mersin, seizing unlicensed weapons and 'a large quantity' of digital material, he said.
Heroin continues to be the most commonly used illicit opioid within the European Union and 'increasingly relies on maritime routes and in particular the use of global container traffic and ferries' departing from Turkiye, Europol's 2024 analysis of the EU drug market said.
The report said Turkish criminal networks continue to dominate the wholesale trafficking of heroin to the European market.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Arabiya
7 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Turkish prosecutors add charges of forging diploma against jailed Istanbul mayor
Turkish prosecutors charged Istanbul's mayor Ekrem Imamoglu on Friday with falsifying his university diploma, a new case threatening more years in prison for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's main rival, already jailed pending corruption charges he denies. Imamoglu, at the center of a sprawling legal crackdown on the main opposition party, has been jailed since March 23 pending trial. He denies the allegations against him, which his party says are orchestrated to protect Erdogan in power. His indictment over his diploma was reported by Milliyet newspaper, which said prosecutors were seeking eight years and nine months of prison time for the new charges. Reuters could not immediately obtain the document. On March 18, Istanbul University said it had annulled Imamoglu's diploma. He was detained a day later on the corruption charges, triggering Turkey's largest protests in a decade, and later jailed pending trial. His detention has drawn sharp criticism from opposition parties and some foreign leaders, who call the case politically motivated and anti-democratic. The government denies the case is political. Imamoglu is the main opposition Republican People's Party's presidential candidate in any future election. He won re-election as mayor in March last year by a wide margin against a candidate from Erdogan's ruling AK Party.
Arab News
a day ago
- Arab News
US recalls top diplomat in Colombia for ‘urgent consultations'
WASHINGTON: The United States recalled its top diplomat in Colombia on Thursday for 'urgent consultations' and expressed 'deep concern' over the relationship between the two countries. Charge d'affaires John McNamara was being recalled 'following baseless and reprehensible statements from the highest levels of the Government of Colombia,' State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said in a statement. Bruce did not specify what the offending remarks were. In addition to McNamara's recall, Bruce said the United States 'is pursuing other measures to make clear our deep concern over the current state of our bilateral relationship,' without detailing the actions. She stressed, however, that Colombia remains an 'essential strategic partner' despite Washington's 'policy differences with the current government.' 'We are committed to close cooperation on a range of shared priorities, including regional security and stability,' Bruce added. Colombia's leftist President Gustavo Petro accused the United States and 'right-wing extremists' last month of plotting to overthrow him. Without providing further details, Petro claimed a far-right 'leader,' who he did not identify, had spoken to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Colombia leftist government also recently refused a US request to extradite two prominent guerrilla leaders wanted by Washington for drug trafficking. Colombia was until recently one of the United States' closest partners in Latin America.
Asharq Al-Awsat
2 days ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Turkish Police Seize 825 Kg of Heroin, Says Interior Minister
Police have seized 825 kilogrammes of heroin and arrested 30 people in a string of raids largely in southern Türkiye, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on Wednesday. Straddling Asia and Europe, Türkiye lies on several major smuggling routes and is the main entry point for heroin on the European market, according to AFP. "In operations across seven provinces, centred in (the southern city of) Adana.. we seized 825 kilogrammes (1,818 pounds) of heroin and arrested 30 suspected drug traffickers," he wrote on X. In a simultaneous operation, police raided 38 different addresses in Adana, Hakkari, Hatay, Istanbul, Van, Diyarbakir, and Mersin, seizing unlicensed weapons and "a large quantity" of digital material, he said. Heroin continues to be the most commonly used illicit opioid within the European Union and "increasingly relies on maritime routes and in particular the use of global container traffic and ferries" departing from Türkiye, Europol's 2024 analysis of the EU drug market said. The report said Turkish criminal networks continue to dominate the wholesale trafficking of heroin to the European market.
