Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu announced early Wednesday that more than 1.1 tons of methamphetamine in crystal and liquid form were seized in Istanbul in a “record seizure in one instance.”
The minister also announced the operation “put an end” to the gang led by an Iranian drug lord identified only by his initials R.K. He was among five suspects detained by police in operations in the city's Bayrampaşa, Bahçelievler, Esenyurt, Büyükçekmece, Beykoz and Güngören districts on May 19. R.K. was caught in the Merter district as he was trying to flee following a police raid on his villa. Other suspects were caught in a villa in Beykoz, where police discovered a room that had been converted into a drug production facility.
Turkey is among the leading countries in drug seizures in Europe. In August, 4.3 tons of methamphetamine were seized in separate shipments from Hong Kong, at a transit cargo terminal at Istanbul Airport.
Meth is among the "popular" drugs in Istanbul according to a wastewater analysis report from 2020. Official figures show Turkey seized double the amount of meth seized in all of Europe in 2020, the latest year with available data, at 4.1 tons and this figure further rose to 5.5 tons last year.
Soylu had recently announced that they were conducting a new action plan to tackle the growing use of meth.
