UPDATE - Turkey: 5 remanded, 2 arrested in anti-drug operations

UPDATED WITH MORE ARRESTS FROM VAN PROVINCE

By Ayse Yildiz and Yilmaz Kazandıoglu

ANTALYA/HAKKARI, Turkey (AA) – Security forces arrested at least seven people, five of whom were later remanded in custody, as part of nationwide anti-narcotics operations, according to police sources on Tuesday.

Five suspects were remanded in the Muratpasa district of the southern Antalya province on drug trafficking charges, the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media.

A total of 57 kilograms (125 pounds) of marijuana and other types of drugs were also seized, the source added.

Another anti-narcotics operation targeted the financial resources of the terror organization PKK/KCK in the eastern Hakkari province, according to a statement from the governor's office.

The statement said 52 kilograms (114 pounds) of heroin buried underground, an AK-47 and 100 rounds of cartridge, were seized in Yuksekova district.

Separately, two people were arrested during an anti-drug operation in the eastern Van province, according to a statement from the provincial directorate of security.

Over four kilos of heroin were also seized in a pickup truck in Edremit district, the statement said.

Listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU, the PKK has waged a wide-ranging terror campaign against the Turkish state since the mid-1980s, in which an estimated 40,000 people have been killed.

*Necat Hazar from Van province contributed to the story.