Türkiye’s Coast Guard has seized over 1.6 tons of narcotics in 54 maritime interdictions across the nation’s waters since the start of 2026.
Marine sweeps yielded 19,591 pills, 640 cannabis plants and 2 milliliters of liquid drugs. Crews intercepted 152 pistols, 395 cartridges, 115 gun parts, four rifles and 286 alcohol bottles in 32 separate incidents.
Ten customs sweeps netted 215,461 items, 7,994 cigarette packs, 5,650 cigars and 221 kilograms of tobacco. Authorities also recovered 20,402 liters of smuggled fuel and detected the misuse of 632,225 liters of tax-free diesel in 25 cases.
Teams secured 189 ships in the straits this year, adding to 1,656 vessels in 2024 and 2025. Authorities slapped marine polluters with 141.33 million Turkish Liras ($3.67 million) in fines for 219 violations over the same period.
Türkiye strictly monitors its surrounding seas to combat illicit trafficking networks.
