Drug dealers busted writing anti-drug graffiti in Istanbul

Çetin Aydın - ISTANBUL

Dealers wrote anti-drug graffiti on walls in Istanbul's Üsküdar neighborhood to cover before selling those substances there

Some 33 people have been detained in an anti-drug operation in Istanbul, with police accusing the suspects of selling drugs in front of walls where they had written anti-drugs graffiti in order to cover their illegal acts.

Istanbul anti-drug police raided addresses in the Selamsız neighborhood of the Üsküdar district after determining the dealers as a part of an investigation that continued for seven months.

In total, 33 people, including an 11-year-old boy, were detained in the operation, in which large amounts of a synthetic drug, as well marijuana and cocaine, were seized. Fifteen bullets, a grenade and 4,060 cigarette boxes were also found at the raided addresses.

The dealers had written anti-drug graffiti on walls in the neighborhood with graffiti to provide cover and were selling the drugs in front of these walls, the seven-month probe revealed. 

Questioning of 32 of the suspects is ongoing, while the 11-year-old boy, who is the son of one suspected dealer, has been sent to the children’s department.