The Department for Combating Narcotic Crimes in Antalya's Serik district organized an evaluation meeting on Tuesday, where Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu highlighted the main reasons for the rise in drug addiction throughout the country.

Soylu, in his address, shared narcologist research findings that revealed "75% of those who consume drugs start because of peer pressure."

Urging parents to fight against drugs to save the new generation, the minister recommended parents keep a check and a proper follow-up on their children, from their bags to wardrobes, and everything. This may lead to anti-behavior consequences but at least the check and balance will save them from greater risks in life. Research shows that 55% of people start drugs out of curiosity, he highlighted.

Stating that operations carried out increased three-fold resulting in detentions going up from 37,000 to 122,000, Soylu said: "We carried out 40 rooting operations targeting the supply chain, busted 1,138 organized crime syndicates dealing with drugs, and 57 important international operations in the last seven years.

He informed that with the ASENA artificial intelligence program, 6,600 were captured during operations. ASENA, short for "Analysis System Narcotics Network" in Turkish, is the national security forces’ new assistant in crime prevention. The locally developed software harnesses thousands of pieces of data from a criminal database and employs artificial intelligence (AI) to detect suspicious activities.

Pointing out that methamphetamine is currently the most serious threat, Soylu said, "The use of this drug is increasing on a global scale. However, the drug was introduced in Türkiye in 2015. It was the first time in Türkiye that a circular was issued about the substance, and it was sent to all units. After this circular, serious operations were carried out in order to control the abuse of methamphetamine among youngsters."

Mothers' training

"We are providing awareness and training programs to parents, especially mothers against drug usage of their children at home. We have provided 1.4 million mothers with 'the best narcotics police mother' training, aiming to reach 25 million people in three months with our Ministry of National Education. Second, as for drug consumption in cars, we will continue car operations during working hours as cars serve as the best places for drug addicts. We need to be vigilant within the framework of courtesy and legal rules for vehicles in secluded places," Soylu stressed.

"Some parents ask us to put their sons in prison as they may find salvation there. For such young violators, ex officio treatment will be one of our most important steps in the fight against drugs. Third, rehabilitation centers have been established in prisons by the Ministry of Justice. While the Ministry of Health is planning to increase the number of rehabilitation centers with urgency," said Soylu.

Pointing out that he has completed six-and-a-half years in the Ministry of Interior, Soylu, while referring to the 2016 failed coup attempt, said: "The state is not made up of a single person who rules, in fact, all of us together form this country. We make principles, struggle, determination, and decisions, to protect our nation and nationals. Türkiye has the best axe of struggle in history when it comes to security and its results lay with the state institutions in this period."

"Let's save our children from drugs; emphasizing that all parents who are concerned about their children with substance abuse must work for this cause to keep our country healthy and strong," the minister vowed.

The Evaluation Meeting organized by the Department of Combating Narcotic Crimes will wrap up on Feb. 2, 2023.