At least 79 drug trafficking suspects were detained after a huge dawn sweep in the Turkish capital Ankara, security sources said yesterday.

The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media, said the operation targeted 111 suspects, including three police officers, who were sought on warrants for drug offenses.

Around 1,500 officers split into 350 teams, backed by 15 sniffer dogs and two helicopters, targeting 200 addresses in the capital simultaneously.

In the operations, 67 kilograms (147 pounds) of heroin were seized, along with over 38,500 pills, 21 handguns, 14 rifles, and TL 120,918 (some $21,000), the sources added.

The raids were conducted as the culmination of a six-month investigation. The operation was named after Hüseyin Kalkan, an Ankara police officer martyred in the 2016 defeated coup attempt.