16,000 drug pills seized from terror YPG/PKK in N.Syria

By Esref Musa and Omer Koparan

TAL ABYAD, Syria (AA) - As many as 16,000 opiate pills were seized in a drug bust in the section of northern Syria liberated from terrorists by Turkey’s Operation Peace Spring, a security source said on Sunday.

In addition to the pills, the Turkish-allied Syrian National Army also confiscated 10 kilograms (22 pounds) of hashish as well as some synthetic drugs in an operation against the drug trafficking network of the terror group YPG/PKK, an army official told Anadolu Agency reporter.

In the operation, assisted by a sniffer dog, some suspects were also arrested, the officials said.

To ensure peace and stability in the region, security branches of the army in cooperation with the Turkish National Intelligence Organization frequently carry out operations against terrorist YPG/PKK infiltration.

Since 2016, Turkey, in league with the Syrian National Army, has launched a trio of successful anti-terror operations across its border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a YPG/PKK terror corridor and enable the peaceful settlement of residents: Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive Branch (2018), and Peace Spring (2019).

In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US, and the EU – has been responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people, including women, children and infants. The YPG is its Syrian offshoot.

The YPG/PKK is a major player in the European drug trade, and uses drug trafficking profits to fund its terror attacks, according to Turkish officials.