In a significant counter-narcotics operation, Turkish intelligence successfully intercepted a large and diverse shipment of drugs originating from Lebanon and routed through Syria.
The operation, which culminated today, involved a coordinated effort that lasted two months and included participation from two local military factions in northern Syria.
According to Turkey’s İhlas News Agency, the operation led to the arrest of 26 members of a drug trafficking gang. Authorities seized nearly 621,000 Captagon pills, 50 kilograms of hashish, 208 grams of methamphetamine, and confiscated three vehicles used by the smugglers.
In addition, six houses and a warehouse linked to the operation were raided.
Turkish security officials revealed that the narcotics were transported from Lebanon into Turkish-controlled areas via the Homs-Raqqa route.
This significant drug bust highlights Turkey’s ongoing struggle against drug trafficking networks in the region.
Earlier this year, in April, Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced the seizure of the third-largest cocaine haul in the country’s history.
The police confiscated around 608 kilograms of cocaine, most of it in liquid form, in a multi-province operation. Additionally, 830 kilograms of precursor chemicals used for drug processing were also seized.
Organized crime watchdogs have warned that Turkey has increasingly become a transit point for cocaine smuggling from South America to Europe, as security measures in major ports like Rotterdam in the Netherlands have tightened.
In October last year, the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime reported a 44% increase in cocaine seizures in Turkey between 2021 and 2022.
The report suggested that this rise in confiscations did not correlate with an increase in local consumption, indicating that Turkey is likely being used as a corridor for drug trafficking to Europe.
