Nearly 90 kg of heroin seized in eastern Turkey

By Necat Hazar and Abdullah Soylemez

VAN, Turkey (AA) - Police in Turkey seized 87.4 kilograms (192.6 pounds) of heroin in the country’s east, authorities said on Monday.

In a statement, the provincial security directorate said 45.2 kilograms (99.6 pounds) of heroin were recovered from a minibus stopped on Van-Hakkari highway in the Gurpinar district of Van province.

A sniffer dog helped in the search, while a driver, identified only by initials M.C., was arrested and a local court later remanded the suspect into custody.

Meanwhile, Turkish security forces also seized 42.2 kilograms (93 pounds) of heroin among other illicit drugs during an anti-narcotics operation in the eastern province of Agri, according to the local governorate.

In a joint operation by Agri and Van police teams, the illicit drug were seized from a car, a statement said.

Police arrested the driver in the raid, assisted by a sniffer dog.