site.btaUPDATED 101 kg of Marijuana Dropped by Helicopter Coming from Bulgaria Confiscated in Turkiye's Kirklareli District

A total of 101 kg of skunk - a hybrid marijuana strain - was confiscated in the Turkish district of Kirklareli after a helicopter coming from Bulgaria dropped the drug in the border area, Anadolu Agency reported Tuesday. The unregistered aircraft was detected by radar on the night of July 16 to 17; it was flying low in the area of Yenimahalle village.

Gendarmerie teams established that the helicopter dropped sacks with skunk in the area before returning towards Bulgaria.

Three people were arrested in an operation of the Turkish authorities against international dug trafficking. L.H., A. O., and H. G. tried to escape from the area, Anadolu Agency reported without specifying the detainees' nationality. An investigation is underway. 

In a statement to the media, Kirklareli Governor Birol Ekici said that a network for drug trafficking was busted, led by an international crime group observed for a long time; 101 kg of skunk were seized worth around TRY 20 million. "Our fight against drug distribution will continue with decisiveness. We will not allow our people, particularly young people, to be poisoned," Ekici argued.

Later on Tuesday, the Director of Bulgaria’s Border Police Chief Directorate, Chief Commissioner Anton Zlatanov, commented that a working group has been formed with the participation of many services, and it is working actively on the alert received from the Turkish authorities on Monday night about a helicopter that threw out a large quantity of drugs in Turkiye. Approached by journalists, he refused to give details about the case, noting only that operative actions are underway.

In his words, even if he had such information, he would not say where the helicopter took off and whether it is Bulgarian. “When we are ready and we have something to say, you will know,” he told reporters.

He did not comment on whether this was a single case or a drug trafficking channel.