ERBIL, Kurdistan region of Iraq – Turkish security forces arrested 42 suspected members of a drug trafficking network accused of moving over 10 tonnes of narcotics, seizing over $155 million across 13 provinces, the interior ministry said Tuesday.

The interior ministry claimed the network was responsible for moving “a total of 10 tons and 100 kilograms of narcotic substances in the heroin, marijuana, and cocaine trade,” which it uncovered after a probe into encrypted communication data.

Istanbul’s chief prosecutor’s office said 168 suspects were identified through an investigation into “specially prepared mobile phones with microphones, cameras, and GPS disabled,” with an encrypted communications app.

Only 60 of the 168 suspects remain in the country, the judiciary said. The rest are either in jail, dead, or abroad and subject to Interpol Red Notices, which are requests for law enforcement worldwide to locate and arrest a fugitive.

At least 42 suspects were arrested, and over $155 million were seized during simultaneous operations across 13 provinces, the interior ministry said.

European law enforcement in 2020 infiltrated the encrypted communication platform EncroChat, which led to over 6,500 arrests worldwide and the seizure of over 270 tons of narcotics and over $1 billion worth of criminal funds, among other things, according to Europol.

The Turkish interior ministry said the operations were carried out in coordination with Interpol and Europol.

“We are not only after the poison peddlers, but also those who organize this dirty trade, finance it, and try to launder the proceeds of crime,” Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci said on X.

Turkey is a major hub for international drug trafficking due to its strategic location, bridging consumer markets in Europe and the Middle East. The country seizes a substantial amount of various illicit drugs each year.