212 kilograms cocaine seized from ship in Istanbul

ISTANBUL

A total of 212 kilograms of cocaine were seized from a ship which was anchored in a harbor in Istanbul on June 13, state-run Anadolu Agency has reported.

Anti-drug police conducted the search on a ship which was anchored in Ambarlı Harbor in Istanbul’s Avcılar district following a tipoff.

A team of Turkish narcotics police gathered after the tipoff three months ago about a container in Brazil that was allegedly set to transport a large amount of drugs to Turkey.

Officials learned the serial code of the container which was loaded with drugs and began to wait for it to arrive in Turkish waters.

However, officials learned that the container was loaded onto a different ship in Spain and warned Turkish and Greek coast guards amid worries that the drugs could be transferred elsewhere.

Turkish Coast Guard stopped the ship when it crossed into Turkish waters from the Mediterranean.

Anti-drug police subjected the ship to an X-ray search after it was anchored in Ambarlı Harbor prior to a search by trained dogs.
 
Police opened the container after determining that it was loaded with drugs.

Some 212 kilograms of cocaine were found in 193 packages that were hidden in eight suitcases as part of the operation, which was supported by helicopters.

Officials said the cocaine was the highest amount ever seized in a raid in Istanbul. Police also launched an investigation into the apprehended suspects.

On June 2, Turkish authorities staged a major anti-drug operation on the Congo-flagged ship Commander Tide, confiscating a total of 1,071 kilograms of heroin which had an estimated market value of approximately 200 million Turkish Liras.

Turkish police also reportedly determined that a ton of drugs seized from a ship in an operation off the Suez Canal belonged to the Taliban.