The operation was part of an investigation into an alleged cocaine shipment from Colombia to Turkey.
According to the Büyükçekmece Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, the Istanbul Police Department's Anti-Narcotic Crimes Branch launched an investigation into allegations of a large-scale drug shipment from South America to Turkey. The police followed the alleged drug traffickers and discovered that a Colombian citizen had settled in a rented house in Istanbul. After tracking the suspect's frequent travels to and from Bursa's Gemlik district, the teams identified the ship loaded with drugs.
In the operation, eight suspects were arrested, and 373 kilograms of cocaine were seized. The Colombian suspect was detained while attempting to leave the address where he was staying in Istanbul.
The procedures for the nine suspects are ongoing. In a statement on his social media account, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced the operation, saying, "Nine suspects were arrested, and 373 kilograms of cocaine were seized in the 'Narkoçelik-20' operation in Istanbul and Bursa against the drug organized crime organization trying to ship cocaine from South America to Turkey."
Cocaine production and trafficking: Colombia, Peru, Bolivia
In the 2023 World Drug Report, the UN International Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) noted that there has been a significant increase in both the supply and demand for cocaine in the world, which will likely encourage the development of new markets beyond traditional borders.
The report stated that the coca plant, from which cocaine is obtained, is cultivated on an area of 315.5 hectares, and that a record high of 2,304 tons of cocaine was produced in 2021.
The global cocaine market continues to be concentrated in the US, as well as in Western and Central Europe, but is also expanding rapidly in developing countries in Africa, Asia and Southeast Europe.
Most of the global illicit opium production takes place in a limited number of countries, mainly Afghanistan. Of the 7,800 tons of global production in 2022, 80 percent, or 6,200 tons, was produced in Afghanistan. Afghanistan is followed by Myanmar with 795 tons and Mexico with 504 tons.
According to the UN report, 95 percent of opium worldwide is produced in Afghanistan, Myanmar and Mexico, while coca grows in Colombia, Peru and Bolivia.
(AS/DT)
