site.btaOver 245 kg of Marijuana Seized at Kapıkule Border Crossing, Two Drivers Arrested

Teams from the Turkish Directorate for Customs Protection in Edirne discovered 245.9 kilograms of marijuana in a truck and a lorry during an attempt to illegally import the drugs into Turkiye via the Kapıkule border checkpoint with Bulgaria, reported Haberler.

A sniffer dog named Fuge, trained in narcotics detection and one of seven such dogs assigned to the Kapıkule customs office, was used during the operations.

According to the report, customs officers inspected a truck trailer, transporting furniture, using a scanner. The detector dog alerted officers to the presence of drugs. Authorities found 80.6 kg of marijuana, packed into 51 packages, hidden inside holes within a table and the legs, which had been secured with screws.

The smuggled goods were confiscated, and the truck driver was handed over to the judicial authorities in Edirne on charges of drug trafficking.

Another shipment of marijuana was uncovered in a lorry that arrived at Kapıkule. Surveillance cameras had detected suspicious behavior by the driver. When ordered to undergo a scanner inspection, the driver fled the vehicle and attempted to cross the border on foot, but was quickly apprehended. Upon inspection of the lorry with a sniffer dog, customs officers found 165.9 kg of marijuana, packed into 64 parcels. The lorry driver was also handed over to judicial authorities in Edirne.

The court ordered the detention of both drivers on suspicion of drug trafficking. Their names have not been disclosed. The investigations into both incidents are ongoing, led by the Edirne Directorate of Security.