Nine tonnes of methamphetamine seized in Turkey in two weeks, say officials

Turkish officials have seized nearly nine tonnes of methamphetamine, half of it at the Iranian border, in the last two weeks, the interior minister said on Thursday.

Ali Yerlikaya said 4.16 tonnes of methamphetamine were seized during this period, including 3.5 tonnes in Istanbul and the rest in other cities including Izmir in the west and Hakkari near the border with Iran and Iraq.

According to Turkish customs, more than 4.5 tonnes were found at the beginning of November in three trucks crossing into Turkey from Iran.