Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu announced Thursday that 149 people had been detained during the "Rooting Out" anti-narcotic operations in Türkiye's southern Gaziantep. Authorities sought to arrest 179 people, and operations are underway to detain others who have fled.
At the news conference held at the Gaziantep Police Department, Soylu shared that the 49th Rooting Out operation was organized with coordination from the Provincial Police Department, Provincial Gendarmerie Command and Gaziantep Chief Public Prosecutor's Office at the time of sahur (the last predawn meal before the start of the daily fast in Ramadan) at 4:45 a.m., with the participation of 1,529 members of police and gendarmerie.
Within the framework of state efforts over the last six years, 126,000 drug manufacturers and smugglers have been handed prison sentences, while the number of deaths due to drugs has decreased from 941 to 270.
Meanwhile, the demolition of derelict buildings where drug users frequent is ongoing, and 110,000 of 124,000 buildings have either been demolished or rehabilitated.
Lauding the public, especially mothers who keep asking for rehabilitation measures, Soylu asserted: "The Ministry of Health is preparing a rehabilitation plan for convicts in prison, followed by treatment. This plan will enter into force after approval by the Turkish Parliament."
Under the new regulations, new prisons will be built with compulsory treatment and rehabilitation facilities to ease the convict's trial process.
Not only this but punishment for the production and trade of synthetic drugs and stimulants such as Captagon and bonsai has been increased from 10 to 15 years with additional obligations and penalties for those who bear charges of possessing or using narcotic stimulants.
Affirming that the state, in particular, fulfills all its duties, from the fight against illegal immigration to maintaining public order, without a hitch, the minister said: "Our fight against drugs will continue until the menace is eradicated. But, no matter how, we will continue our duties and not surrender our children and youth to drugs."
