ISTANBUL, July 28 (Xinhua) -- Türkiye detained 385 suspects and seized raw materials sufficient to produce 11.5 tons of illicit drugs in two major raids on Tuesday, a Turkish official said.
Justice Minister Akin Gurlek said in a statement that police detained 382 suspects across 14 provinces in a widespread crackdown operation centered in the southeastern province of Gaziantep, targeting digital drug trafficking networks.
Six months of surveillance showed suspects used messaging apps to organize their distribution, Gurlek said, adding the hunt continues for 91 fugitives.
Meanwhile, in a concurrent operation in Istanbul, anti-narcotics units conducted simultaneous raids on a residence and a vehicle on the city's European side, he said.
During the searches, authorities confiscated 115.5 kilograms of raw materials, sufficient to produce 11.5 tons of drugs, and detained three suspects, the minister added.
Due to its position as a major transit hub for key global trafficking routes, Türkiye has long waged sweeping crackdowns to dismantle domestic and transnational drug networks. ■
