Record 23 tonnes of marijuana seized in Lice, Diyarbakır
Police and gendarmerie teams seized 23 tons of marijuana packed in buried containers in Lice in late September 2013, the largest amount ever taken in a single operation in Turkey. The drugs were reportedly worth 6 million lira and packed for winter sale.
Anti-smuggling and organized-crime police and gendarmerie teams seized23 tons of marijuana in the district of Lice, Diyarbakır, the largest amount of drugs ever confiscated in a single operation in the nation’s history.[1][2]The drugs were stored in large containers, packed for sale in the winter and buried in the ground.[1]Because the area sees heavy terrorist activity, 24 teams backed by air support cordoned it off and raided seven addresses.[1]
Police took the stash, reportedly worth 6 million lira, to the Diyarbakır police department’s storage area by truck.[1]Briefing reporters, provincial governor Cahit Kıraç said 198 operations had been launched since May with 47,893,000 cannabis plants destroyed, and that the settlement process with the PKK had let security forces return to stopping drug crime.[1]
Case data
Every number and detail the sources state, with the sources that state it.
Customs officers at the Esendere border gate in Hakkari stopped a Turkish traveller arriving from Iran and found 49.56 grams of suspected cannabis hidden in his shoe soles. The Yüksekova Chief Public Prosecutor's Office opened an investigation into the seizure.
Gendarmerie teams in Odunpazarı, Eskişehir, searched a home following an investigation into illicit drug production and seized 310 grams of esrar and six cannabis plants. One suspect was detained and faces investigation for drug possession and unlawful cannabis cultivation.
Nevşehir anti-narcotics police placed 14 people under judicial proceedings after a week of operations, including 12 reported drug users and two accused of violating Law No. 2313. Officers seized a cannabis-growing setup, 11 cannabis seeds and 1.62 grams of kubar esrar alongside methamphetamine, synthetic cannabinoids and pills that are not counted as cannabis.
Gaziantep anti-narcotics police searched a car in the city and seized 12 kilograms of skunk, a form of cannabis, detaining one suspect. The operation, coordinated by the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, targeted drug sellers, and the suspect was referred to the judicial authorities.
