800 kilograms of cocaine seized in Turkey’s Kocaeli
KOCAELİ - Demirören News Agency
Security forces on Aug. 8 seized a total of 800 kilograms of cocaine in the western province of Kocaeli, one of the largest anti-drug operations in recent years.
Local gendarmerie forces who acted on a tipoff raided a private port in the Körfez district of Kocaeli. They searched a ship and found the cocaine in a container on the vessel.
Security sources said the cocaine was smuggled into Turkey from a foreign country and an investigation into the incident had been launched.
On a related note, the police seized a total of 223 kg of cannabis stashed in a water heater, in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır on Aug. 8.
Security forces also seized 70 drug pills, 92 grams of methamphetamine, 38 grams of cocaine and a small amount of heroin.
Some 26 people were detained in the anti-drug operations in Diyarbakır, seven of them were arrested.
The Interior Ministry said on Aug. 5 that security forces have seized around 45 tons of marijuana and 10 tons of heroin so far this year.
Some 251 kg of cocaine, 148 kg of opium, 521 kg of the synthetic drug bonzai, 289 kg of methamphetamines, and more than 5.5 million cannabis plants have also been seized.
Some 117,267 people were detained in the same period for alleged drug trafficking and 13,773 of them were remanded in custody.
