Anti-narcotics police in Turkey seized 20 kilograms of cocaine in a major operation in Istanbul, officials said yesterday.

Anti-narcotics squads conducted three operations between May 29 and June 6 to hunt those involved in drug trafficking, according to sources, requesting anonymity, as they are not authorized to speak to the press. On May 29, police teams discovered 20 kilograms of cocaine hidden in a passenger seat of a vehicle with foreign license plates in the Esenyurt district of Istanbul on the European side of the city. A 49-year-old Bulgarian-origin suspect was arrested in relation to the bust.

The squads also found 70 kilograms of heroin hidden in a truck bed in the district of Küçükçekmece, a large crowded suburb on the European side of Istanbul. Two suspects were also arrested on the same day.

On June 6, police impounded 980 Cannabis Sativa roots in an operation, targeting a cottage in the Silivri district, located near the Marmara Sea outside metropolitan Istanbul, arresting three suspects, the sources added.