Customs authorities report 78% jump in value seized as nearly 50 tonnes of narcotics intercepted since January
Turkey’s customs enforcement teams seized 81.97 billion lira worth of smuggled commercial goods and narcotics in 4,397 separate operations between January and August this year, the Ministry of Trade has announced.
In a written statement, the ministry said its General Directorate of Customs Enforcement had continued to refine its methods as one of the main agencies leading the fight against smuggling, using advanced risk analysis systems, technological monitoring infrastructure and specialist personnel to deliver what it described as significant results for protecting the country’s economic security, preventing unfair competition, safeguarding public health and combating organised crime.
The total value of goods seized in the January-to-August period rose 78% compared with the same period last year, the ministry said. Operations recovered 49.7 tonnes of narcotics, 927,840 electrical and electronic items, 1.788 million machine parts and 5.107 million pieces of medical equipment, among a wide range of contraband spanning tobacco products, historical artefacts, fuel and textiles.
In August alone, customs teams carried out 497 operations — a 144% increase on the same month last year — seizing goods and drugs worth 10.532 billion lira. That month’s operations recovered 8.4 tonnes of narcotics, 61,854 machine parts, 202.635 tonnes of fuel and 863 vehicles, alongside further seizures spanning tobacco products, historical artefacts, machine parts and textiles.
The ministry said no form of smuggling would be tolerated, describing the practice as damaging to the national economy, a source of unfair competition that disrupts commercial activity, a threat to public health, and a driver of addiction among young people. It linked the enforcement drive to the government’s designation of 2026 as the “Decade of Family and Population,” saying customs teams were working around the clock to protect and strengthen families and safeguard the physical and psychological wellbeing of children, in the interest of the nation’s health and future.
