Yesterday, gendarmes in Istanbul seized 172 kilos of heroin to be shipped to Poland. The seizure came after surveillance of a businessman who was hospitalized for exposure to a high level of chemicals.

Discovering that the businessman - identified only by his initials A.Y. - was involved in drug smuggling, gendarme troops stormed a warehouse in the city's Esenyurt district.

Heroin hidden in air filters, which would be exported to Poland, were found in the raid. A.Y. and his business partner were arrested. Turkey is a transit route for drug smuggling between Europe and Asia. In the first six months of the year, customs officials seized 24.6 tons of drugs.