Xinhua News Agency, Istanbul, October 7 (Reporter Wang Tengfei) Turkish officials announced on the 7th that Turkey has strengthened the inspection of the northwest border crossings with Greece and Bulgaria. In the first nine months of this year, more than 5.5 tons of drugs were seized and 153 suspects were detained at these border crossings and the northwest border province of Edirne. Compared with the same period last year, the amount of drugs seized increased by 123%.

Governor Junus Seizer told a news conference that law enforcement officers seized 3,03 tons of marijuana, 2,24 tons of high concentration of marijuana, 199 kilograms of cocaine, 83 kilograms of ice cream and more than 9,80,000 pills of drugs.

The province bordered with Greece and Bulgaria and has several border ports.The Turkish government has implemented a comprehensive strategy that includes strengthening border security, enhancing intelligence sharing and coordinating local joint actions.

Turkey spans Asia and Europe, and many international drug smuggling routes pass through its territory. Since May 2023, Turkey has stepped up its efforts to crack down on drug crimes and cracked a large number of drug trafficking-related cases.