Türkiye detains 305 suspects in major anti-drug raids
Turkish security forces detained 305 suspected drug dealers on Tuesday in large-scale operations targeting narcotics networks that operated via encrypted messaging applications and social media platforms.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said the raids were carried out under the coordination of the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, led by the Istanbul Police Department’s Narcotics Crimes Unit with support from cybercrime teams, News.Az reports, citing Xinhua.
According to Yerlikaya, a five-month investigation uncovered highly organized trafficking networks. Suspects formed end-to-end encrypted groups and used trusted couriers to distribute drugs through structured channels.
Cybercrime units were able to access communications within closed, membership-only groups, enabling police to identify individuals acting as “administrators” and “moderators” in the digital drug trade.
Based on these findings, simultaneous raids were launched across 14 provinces, including major cities such as Istanbul and Ankara.
“Fighting drugs is not only a matter of internal security,” Yerlikaya said. “It is a global security struggle. We have declared an all-out war on narcotics — not only for our country, but for humanity.”
The minister emphasized that Türkiye will continue its nationwide campaign against drug trafficking networks, both on the streets and across digital platforms.
News.Az
By Nijat Babayev
