Police nab drug dealers in $808K drug bust in southeast Turkey

Turkish security forces nabbed drug smugglers in southeastern Turkey's Şırnak province on Tuesday, seizing hundreds of dollars' worth of narcotics in the anti-smuggling operation.

Acting upon intelligence, anti-smuggling branch of Şanlıurfa and Şırnak Police squads conducted a joint operation against drug dealers in Şırnak province.

The police stopped and searched a vehicle heading to western provinces from Şırnak. Almost 15 kilograms of methamphetamine, a chemical drug substance with 4,5 million Turkish liras ($808.363) market value, was seized in the operation.

A suspect was detained while the police continue to carry out investigations regarding the smuggling incident.

Turkey, a transit country for drug smugglers working between Asia and Europe, is looking to curb domestic drug use. In 2014, the Turkish government launched "The Rapid Action Plan Against Drugs" to counter drug abuse and smuggling. Since then, Turkey has been fighting on multiple counter-narcotics fronts. It targets addicts through better rehabilitation and awareness campaigns. It also targets smugglers and small-time dealers with more operations carried out by newly-formed "narco teams" that especially focus on operations around schools and other places where the youth, the most vulnerable targets for drug peddlers, go.