A total of 212 kilograms of cocaine were seized from a ship which was anchored in a harbor in Istanbul on June 13, state-run Anadolu Agency has reported.

Anti-drug police conducted the search on a ship which was anchored in Ambarlı Harbor in Istanbul’s Avcılar district following a tipoff.

Police subjected the ship, which had sailed from Brazil via Spain, to an X-ray search. Some 212 kilograms of cocaine were found in 193 packages that were hidden among suitcases as part of the operation.

Officials said the cocaine was the highest amount ever seized in a raid in Istanbul. Police also launched an investigation into the apprehended suspects.

On June 2, Turkish authorities staged a major anti-drug operation on the Congo-flagged ship Commander Tide, confiscating a total of 1,071 kilograms of heroin which had an estimated market value of approximately 200 million Turkish Liras.

Turkish police also reportedly determined that a ton of drugs seized from a ship in an operation off the Suez Canal belonged to the Taliban.

Source: hurriyetdailynews.com