Authorities in Turkey, in a joint operation, discovered ٣٥٠ kilograms of cocaine from a cargo ship in Mersin port. This shipment, which was secretly hidden in the ship's marine hatch, is considered part of efforts to combat drug trafficking in the country.
Details of the Shipment Discovery
According to reports, Turkish police and narcotics units, following information about the arrival of a large shipment of drugs from South America to Mersin port, conducted inspections of ships. As a result of this operation, divers successfully found ١٢ large packages containing ٣٥٠ kilograms of cocaine. The estimated value of this shipment is close to ٣١ million dollars.
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The cargo ship where this shipment was found is named CSPC Pisces and is owned by a Chinese company. This ship, which has a capacity of ٨٤,٥٠٠ tons, departed from Brazil and had stopped in Tarragona, Spain before arriving in Turkey. The date of this ship's arrival at Mersin port is reported to be September ١١.
Consequences of this Discovery
The Turkish government has stated that Mersin is recognized as an important entry point for cocaine from Latin America. In January, Turkish authorities also discovered nearly ٣٠٠ kilograms of cocaine from a container that was declared as a shipment of peanuts from Brazil. From ٢٠١٨ to ٢٠٢٤, the total seizures at Mersin port reached ٤.١ tons of cocaine.
According to reports, Turkish police have discovered more than ٣ tons of cocaine in ٢٠٢٤, showing a ٢٣ percent increase compared to ٢٠٢٣. Recent analyses have also shown that traffickers are increasingly using marine hatches to hide smuggled shipments.
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