In a sweeping operation spanning 21 provinces across Türkiye, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya on Monday announced that law enforcement agencies had apprehended 148 drug traffickers. Yerlikaya took to his social media handle to share the groundbreaking news, emphasizing the extensive reach of the operation. The culprits were nabbed in a synchronized effort involving Istanbul, Bursa, Sivas, Bolu, Kahramanmaraş, Osmaniye, Iğdır, Uşak, Muğla, Diyarbakır, Antalya, Aydın, Van, Çanakkale, Denizli, Mersin, Sakarya, Balıkesir, Trabzon, Bingöl and Gaziantep.

During the operation, significant quantities of narcotics were seized as evidence of the traffickers' illicit activities. Among the confiscated contraband were 300 kilograms (660 pounds) of methamphetamine, 126 kilograms of skunk, 10,500 narcotic pills, and 900 kilograms of marijuana and methamphetamine, along with 11.5 kilograms of Bonzai, and a substantial cache of various other drugs found in all the 21 provinces.

Yerlikaya congratulated the gendarmerie and police who carried out the operations and said, "We will never allow drug dealers to poison our youth and society."

"Our fight against these criminals will remain relentless. Our nation should rest assured that we are always keeping a vigilant eye on them, and we will not allow them to operate with impunity. We are resolute in ensuring these wrongdoers face justice," he emphasized.