Nearly half a ton of cocaine seized at Istanbul airport

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Turkish customs confiscated nearly half a ton of cocaine at Istanbul airport, the government said on Saturday.

“Following the technical analysis and targeting studies, a cargo shipment originating from abroad and transiting through our country was examined in detail. The cargo shipment consisting of 40 boxes prepared for the cocaine-type drug trade weighing 455.2 kilos was seized,” read a statement from the Ministry of Trade.

The investigation is ongoing, according to the ministry.

The statement did not reveal the shipment’s origin or final destination, but it was flagged during routine checks and underwent a thorough inspection, local media reported.

Turkey is becoming a transit hub for the cocaine trade into Europe.

“Turkish criminal networks - already key players in the heroin trade - appear to have found new ways to exploit the country’s minimal resilience to organized crime, working with Latin American and Balkan groups to keep up with the escalating global demand for cocaine,” according to a 2023 report from the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime.