Over 1,700 kilograms of hashish seized in Turkey

By Hasan Namli

DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (AA) – A total of 1,787 kilograms (3,940 pounds) of hashish was seized during security operations in southeastern Turkey’s Diyarbakir province Monday, the governor's office said in a statement Tuesday.

An anti-drug operation has been launched in the province’s Kocakoy district in an effort to curtail terror financing, it said.

Kocakoy gendarme, district gendarmerie command and anti-organized crime division teams found powdered hashish hidden inside three metal barrels in Gokcen, Gozebasi and Tepecik villages, it said, adding that a suspect was also arrested in the operation.

More than 1,200 people, including security force personnel and civilians, have lost their lives since the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S., and EU -- resumed its decades-old armed campaign in July 2015. The civilian casualties include several women and children.