6. ANTI-DRUG TRAFFICKING ACTIVITIES

6.1. Operations

Turkey intensively fights against drug trafficking crimes, committed against humanity, both in the national and international arena. The operations concluded and the seizures made by Turkey are explained in the Part titled Overview on Substance Type. In this part we will discuss the following:

•    Operations against local drug trafficking networks active inside Turkey and targeting Turkish population,

•    Joint operations concluded together with other countries against drugs trafficking organizations active in the international arena,

•    Controlled delivery operations to dismantle the drugs trafficking organizations bottom to top.

6.1.1. Operations Against Local Drug Trafficking Networks

Narcotic Units in Turkey show great efforts to dismantle the drug trafficking gangs, to apprehend all the members of the gangs and to evidence the crimes committed by such gangs that poison our citizens and particularly the youth. The reports and information coming from the citizens or from different sources are analyzed and operations are prepared according to specific plans and projects based on such analysis by the Turkish Narcotic Units. The Units in question enjoy all the opportunities given by the laws in the preparation phase of the operations. Then the Units carry out the planned and projected operations diligently.

Turkey made a structural amendment in 2006 to take concrete steps in the fight against drugs trafficking organizations poisoning Turkish youth. In Istanbul our Department and separate Bureaus for Opiates, Hashish, Cocaine and Synthetic Drugs were established. In accordance with a strategic decision took in Turkey in the second half of 2005, Turkey has developed a policy to fight against drugs dealers throughout Turkey.

Street teams established to fight against local gangs, are deployed to the places with high risk profile. State of art technical surveillance methods are being used. Turkish units work hard to dismantle the street gangs via these methods.

In this respect the number of the provinces concluding operations against local drug trafficking gangs is increasing day by day (Table-17). In the year 2007 each and every Turkish province seized illicit drugs as a result of operations. Therefore planned and projected operations against local drugs trafficking gangs will be carried out in 2008 in all provinces of Turkey.

It is stated that the types and amounts of the illicit drugs seized in the operations against local drug trafficking gangs somehow reflect the drug use profile in Turkey.

444 planned/projected operations were carried out by the Turkish Narcotic Units against the local drug trafficking organizations in 2007. 4516 suspects were apprehended in the said operations. 1122 of the 4516 suspects have already record of previous convictions. Table 19 shows the distribution of their previous convictions.

This table shows that 1122 suspects have 1952 separate convictions. Some of the suspects have more than one previous conviction. 44,1% of the convictions are due to the drug related crimes and the rest 55,9% of the convictions are due to the violation of law and order (14,3% are related to theft, 10,8% are related to violations of law No 6136, 6% are related to racketeering influenced corrupt organizations, 5,5% are related homicide/homicidal attempt and 5,1% are related to forgery/fraud, etc).

As a result of the operations carried out by the Narcotic Units against local drug trafficking gangs that are poisoning and inuring our citizens, the suspects apprehended are not only the drug dealers. Besides the drug dealers the suspects commit miscellaneous crimes such as theft, homicide, forgery, fraud, plunder, etc are also apprehended in the operations stated above. Therefore such operations also contribute to the prevention of crimes against law and order.

6.1.2. International Operations

Illicit drug trafficking organizations are not limited with the boundaries of any country or any region. The illicit organizations may have contacts with other illicit organizations in different countries for the sake of their benefits.

The countries like Turkey — transit country in illicit drug trafficking activities — should cooperate with the producer and the destination countries so as to minimize the threats of the drug trafficking activities.

The increase in the number of joint operations carried out with different countries in the last three years is a clear cut indication that Turkey pays great significance to the international cooperation in the fight against drug trafficking (Graphic-34). As a result of intelligence and information exchange between other countries, operations are carried out both in Turkey and in other cooperating countries.

47 projected operations were carried out as a result of intelligence exchange between the following countries in 2007: The USA, Germany, Belgium, Bulgaria, Holland, the UK, Iran, Spain, Kazakhstan, Hungary, Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Saudi Arabia and Ukraine (Table-20).

6.1.3. Controlled Delivery

As per the policy in the fight against illicit drug trafficking, Turkey emphasizes the dismantling of the organizations from bottom to top. Under the circumstances favorable for controlled delivery operations Department of Anti-Smuggling and Organized Crime apply for the authorized Public Prosecutor's Office for approval for controlled delivery operation as per the Article 250 of the Criminal Procedures Law. Between 1997 and 2007, 134 controlled delivery operations were carried out. And 363 suspects being the supplier, buyer, dealer, transporter of the drugs and the ones preparing cache for the drugs were apprehended (Table-21).

Turkey gained experience in controlled delivery operations, since she completed various national and international controlled delivery operations. Moreover Turkey shares her experiences with other countries via international training seminars held at TADOC.

It is envisaged that the controlled delivery operations against chemical substances used in the production of illicit drugs may lead to the dismantling of the clandestine laboratories.

Turkey continued her efforts in 2007. It was decided to carry out an international controlled delivery operation under the coordination of SECI against an illicit organization that would bring acetic anhydride from Slovenia to Turkey. As per the controlled delivery decision, the truck (TIR) departed from Slovenia, was followed to Istanbul with the support of the law enforcement units of Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary, the countries located on the route of the truck. It was found out that the acetic anhydride would be unloaded to a warehouse in Istanbul. As a result of the operation concluded in April 2007 in Istanbul, 12960 liters of acetic anhydride were seized. The investigation and inquiry made, showed no indication that the acetic anhydride in question would be used by any clandestine laboratory in Turkey. However the analysis and the technical surveillance showed that the illicit criminal organization planned to transfer the substance in question to a clandestine laboratory active in a country located in the east of Turkey.

The evaluation of the controlled delivery operations carried out by Turkey demonstrates that the number of the international controlled delivery operations is more than the local controlled delivery operations (Graphic-36). This is a clear indication that Turkey is a transit country and lays stress on international cooperation in the fight against illicit drug trafficking organizations.


6.2. International Cooperation

Drug trafficking organizations transit many countries between the source country and the destination country. Meanwhile such illicit organizations cooperate with the other illicit organizations in those countries. Given the fact that drug trafficking organizations cooperate with each other for their own benefits, law enforcement agencies in charge of safeguarding their citizens should better cooperate with other law enforcement agencies for the sake of their citizens.

Turkey evaluates and analyzes any information coming from other countries in details and shares the results of the analysis with the source country and relevant countries in line with the laws on condition of reciprocity (Table-22). In fact the joint operations concluded with other countries are explained in the part titled "International Operations".

6.3. Narco-Terrorism

It is known that drug trafficking organizations not only work together with terrorist organizations, but also provide financial support for terrorist organizations. Moreover it is evident that terrorist organizations traffick illicit drugs and finance their terrorist activities.

Seven narco-terrorism related operations were carried out in the year 2007. Consequently the drug trafficking organizations having ties with terrorist activities were dismantled. The dismantled drug trafficking organizations are totally separate from each other. However they have only one feature in common, which is their organic relations with the terrorist organization PKK.

In the narco-terrorism operations done in five different provinces of Turkey in 2007, 49 suspects were apprehended and the following illicit drugs seized: 307 kg heroin, 947 kg hashish, 40.000 ecstasy tablets.

The intelligence and information exchanged with other countries and the operations carried out by Turkey demonstrate that terrorist organizations particularly PKK, has intensive narco-terrorism activities both in Turkey and abroad.

1- On 28 July 2006 in France the suspects were taken under custody with Euro 300.000 having heroin and cocaine traces thereon. And the suspects who were charged with being a member to PKK terrorist organization and money laundering in the name of PKK terrorist organization stated in their depositions that the money seized belonged to a person in Istanbul.

On 12 January 2007, BAYKUS (OWL) operation was carried out in Istanbul to dismantle the whole international heroin trafficking organization headed by the said person in Istanbul, who is also a member to the PKK terrorist organization and providing financial sources to the PICK terrorist organization. 13 suspects were apprehended and 48 kg heroin were seized.

2- In accordance with the intelligence collected by Baskale Anti-Smuggling and Organized Crime Group teams, affiliated to the Van Directorate of Security, in the operation carried out on 03 September 2007, 947 kg hashish were seized. Hashish in question was spread on two separate fields at Hatipova, Ekecek Village, Baskale District. The investigation revealed the fact that the owner of the hashish in question is a member to PKK terrorist organization and hashish was produced to drive revenue for the terrorist organization.

3- Within the framework of the cooperation with German law enforcement agency on 03 September 2007 under the coordination of the Department of Anti-Smuggling and Organized Crime, istanbul Narcotic Division carried out an operation at Kumburgaz, Tekirdag. In the operation 4 suspects were apprehended and 78 kg heroin and 40.000 ecstasy tablets were seized. The investigation again revealed that the owner of the heroin and the coordinator of the delivery is a member to the PK1( terrorist organization and is responsible for the organization's activities in Germany. And it was found out that the revenues from the drugs would be used to finance the terrorist activities of PKK.

4- Within the framework of the international MASICE (MASK) operation organized by Turkey and Romania against a drugs trafficking organization trafficking drugs to European countries transiting Turkey, on 14 December 2007 an operation was carried out in Edirne and 11 suspects 3 out of whom are Romanian citizens were apprehended and 57 kg 418 g heroin were seized. As a result of the investigation it is detected that one of the suspects apprehended was a member to the PKK terrorist organization and the ex responsible person of PICK in charge of Moldova.

5- In the projected operation named ZiERVE (SUMMIT) targeting a drug trafficking organization headed by a person who has prior records due to crimes related to the PKK terrorist organization, 8 suspects were apprehended and 90 kg heroin were seized on 30 December 2007 in Çerkezkôy, Tekirdag.

As a result of 350 drug trafficking operations carried out by the national security forces since 1984, 783 suspects who had ties with terrorist organizations other than PICK, such as KADEK, ASALA, TKP/ML and DHICP/C were apprehended (Table-23)