Turkish police arrest 42 in anti-narcotics operations

By Mirac Kaya

BURSA, Turkey

At least 42 suspects, including foreign nationals, were arrested in countrywide anti-narcotics operations on Wednesday, officials said.

In the northwestern province of Bursa, police detained 20 suspects of drug trafficking. Ten were remanded in custody, while the remaining suspects were released.

Police also seized 157 synthetic drug pills during three separate operations across the province, a police officer, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on talking to the media, told Anadolu Agency.

Another eight suspects were nabbed in southern province of Adana. An unrevealed amount of drugs, as well as a rifle, were seized during the raids.

Police arrested another three suspects in central Konya province when they stopped a car and found a small amount of a street drug dubbed "bonzai".

Recently classified as the most dangerous drug in Turkey, bonzai is derived from a green plant similar to marijuana and contains a chemical called AM-2201, which can be particularly destructive to the brain.

In Eskisehir province, central Turkey, police carried out simultaneous raids, arresting two Iranians for alleged drug trafficking.

Police also detained two more Iranians in the eastern province of Agri. Around 37 kilograms (81 pounds) of hashish were seized when the police stopped a car carrying the suspects in Dogubayazit district.

Another 17 suspects were also arrested in central Aksaray, northern Bartin and eastern Bingol provinces.

*Omer Yildiz from Adana, Mehmet Akif Coskuner from Konya, Emrah Yasar from Eskisehir, Fahrettin Gok from Agri contributed to this story