Turkey Nabs Lebanese-Venezuelan Leader of Global Cocaine Ring

Turkish authorities have made a significant cocaine bust, marking the third largest in the nation’s history, announced Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya. In a recent operation spanning three provinces, police confiscated 608 kilograms (1,340 pounds) of cocaine, mostly in liquid form, along with 830 kilograms (1,830 pounds) of chemicals used for processing the drug.

According to Yerlikaya’s statement on social media platform X, the operation targeted an international criminal organization believed to be led by a Lebanese-Venezuelan. Four foreign nationals and nine Turkish individuals were detained in connection with the operation.

This major seizure underscores concerns raised by organized crime watchdogs that Turkey is increasingly becoming a gateway for cocaine shipments from South America to Europe, especially as security tightens at major European ports like Rotterdam.

A report from the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime in October last year highlighted a 44% increase in cocaine seizures in Turkey from 2021 to 2022, suggesting Turkey’s role as a transit point rather than a consumer market.

Turkey’s record cocaine seizure occurred in 2021 at the Mediterranean port of Mersin, where 1.1 tons of the drug were found hidden in a banana shipment from Ecuador.

Since taking office in June last year, Yerlikaya has intensified efforts to dismantle organized crime within Turkey, addressing concerns about the country becoming a refuge for international criminals.

Yerlikaya often shares updates on law enforcement activities against drug traffickers and other criminals on social media. The recent operation involved anti-narcotics teams from Kocaeli, near Istanbul, and extended to Tekirdag and Antalya. The criminals reportedly used vineyards in these regions to store chemicals and process cocaine, which was smuggled disguised as fertilizer. A shotgun was also seized during the raids.

The minister emphasized Turkey’s resolve against drug trafficking and organized crime, stating, “We will not tolerate poison traffickers, organized crime groups, and gangs, whether national or international.”