Last year, 1,020 people died of drug-related causes in Turkey. Although the country has a population of more than 82 million, Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu said that the deaths were still "too many."

Speaking at an event late Wednesday in Ankara, Minister Soylu, known for his harsh rhetoric against drug dealers, said that only 520 people had died in 2016 from drugs.

"We have to take measures," the minister asserted. The government refuses to back down from the relentless struggle of curbing all types of addiction, from smoking to drugs, but with Soylu at the helm, security forces have stepped up crackdowns with more raids against drug dealers, especially those operating around schools.