Illegal drug trade

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya has revealed the apprehension of 41 suspects in operations targeting an organized crime syndicate involved in illegal arms production and smuggling across 11 of the country's 81 provinces.

A recently unveiled Europol report has shown the pervasive influence of criminal networks in the European Union, particularly implicating Bulgarians, Romanians, Serbs, and Ukrainians in the most perilous operations related to human trafficking for labor and sexual exploitation.

More than 1 ton of drugs and 1 million drug pills have been seized and 250 individuals have been arrested during the nationwide crackdown against drug trafficking, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya has announced.

170 kilograms of cocaine were found concealed within a shipment of bananas at the Burgas city's port. The illicit cargo, valued at approximately $6.8 million, marks one of the largest drug seizures in the history of the Burgas Port Complex, BTA reported. No arrests have been made thus far, leaving authorities to grapple with the intricacies of an ongoing investigation.

Türkiye, a key transit point for drug trafficking, has seen a dramatic surge in methamphetamine seizures, reaching an all-time high in 2023, according to the latest report from a monitoring body for the implementation of U.N. drug control conventions.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya has announced the detention of 42 suspects linked to notorious drug dealer Ürfi Çetinkaya, widely known as the "Turkish Escobar."

The operation, which spanned nine provinces, was a result of a two-year joint effort against the armed organized crime group, Yerlikaya said in an X post on Feb. 20.

In a sweeping police operation targeting drug distribution networks across Bulgaria, authorities have made significant strides in dismantling a key channel for narcotics trafficking. The intensive operation, as reported by Nova TV, has uncovered a clandestine greenhouse facility dedicated to cultivating marijuana.

A concerning pattern is emerging in Bulgaria, as a staggering 80% of students have reportedly experimented with alcohol and marijuana, with an additional 30% delving into synthetic drugs, according to statistics presented by the "Kosher" treatment center and reported by BNT.

Police in violence-plagued Ecuador arrested 68 people Sunday who had attempted to take over a hospital in the country's southwest in the midst of a "war" between drug gangs and the security forces.

Drug smugglers in the European Union have become so "very creative" that the bloc's seaports should join forces to combat their ever-changing tactics, Belgian Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden has said.