ISTANBUL, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Turkish authorities on Sunday seized narcotics with a street value of 1.026 billion Turkish liras (24 million U.S. dollars) during intensified anti-drug operations at the country's borders and entry points, the Ministry of Trade said.
In a statement posted on the social platform X, the ministry said the operations were conducted at the Hamzabeyli and Kapikule border gates with Bulgaria in the northwestern province of Edirne, as well as at Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen International Airport on the Asian side of the city.
According to the statement, anti-smuggling and intelligence units confiscated about 2.5 million ecstasy pills and 170,500 captagon tablets, along with quantities of cannabis and synthetic drugs. The seized narcotics were subsequently destroyed.
Judicial investigations have been launched into the incidents by the chief public prosecutors' offices in Edirne and Istanbul's Anatolian side, the ministry said.
The ministry added that the stepped-up operations are part of Türkiye's broader efforts to combat cross-border drug trafficking. ■