REPUBLIC OF TURKEY
ECO DCCU Country Profile 2005
Basic Country Facts
Geography/topography
Turkey is located between Asia and Europe with an area of 774815 sq km. Its border length is 2875 km and coastline is 8333 km in length, including its islands. It has two European (Bulgaria and Greece) and six Asian (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, Iraq and Syria) neighboring countries along its borders.
Demographics and Human Development Index indicators
Population (2002): 67 million
GDP per capita (PPP, 2001): USD 5,890
Population under 15 years (2003): 27.8%
Human Development Index value (2001): 0.734
Illicit Drug Trends
Supply Side Trends: Cultivation, Production, Supply and Trafficking
Turkey is a major transit route for Southwest Asian opiates moving to Europe. The majority of opiates trafficked through Turkey originate in Afghanistan. Morphine base and heroin are smuggled by vehicles from Pakistan via Iran to Turkey. Multi-ton quantities of opiates and hashish have been smuggled by sea from Pakistan to points in Turkey along the Mediterranean, Aegean, and/or Marmara seas. Opiates and hashish also are smuggled to Turkey overland from Afghanistan via Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. Traffickers in Turkey illegally acquire the precursor chemical acetic anhydride, which is used in the production of heroin, from sources in Western Europe, the Balkans and Russia.
There are three main routes (the Balkan Route, the Northern Black Sea Route and the Eastern Mediterranean Route) of drugs on the geography where Turkey is located. The Balkan Route starts from Southwest Asia, the poppy cultivation areas, passes through the territories of Iran and Turkey and then divides into two main branches over the Balkan Peninsula. The first branch (the northern route) reaches to the European countries over Bulgaria-Romania-Hungary-Austria. The second branch (the southern route) reaches to Italy through the sea, over Turkey and Greece.
The Northern Black Sea Route has two separate branches. The first branch (the northern route) starts from Afghanistan, passes through the Central Asian Republics and reaches to the Western European markets over Russia, Ukraine, Bella Russia and Poland. The second branch (the southern route), starts again from Afghanistan, goes through Iran and then directs to the north and passes from Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia and Russia, and finally reaches to the Western Europe.
The Eastern Mediterranean Route starts from the ports of Pakistan and reaches to the Western Europe markets over the Indian Ocean, Red Sea and Suez Canal.
Although the Balkan Route is still used extensively, the Northern Black Sea Route is used more frequently by the traffickers due to the effective struggle of Turkish Law Enforcement Forces against the drug trafficking organizations, developments in the Central Asia after the collapse of USSR in the 90’s and the restructuring problems of the law enforcement units in those countries.
The opiates are trafficked from the east to the west whereas the precursor chemicals and synthetic drugs are trafficked from the west to the east, over the Balkan route and thus Turkey is subject to a two-way flow.
Turkey is also affected from the trafficking of Afghani origin hashish trafficking in parallel to heroin trafficking on the Balkan Route.
The organizations involved in the trafficking of natural drugs, have accelerated their efforts for trafficking of synthetic drugs for the purpose of recovering their losses incurred due to the struggling efforts of the law enforcement units and taking the share from the new synthetic drugs market. As a result of this developments, Turkey located on the natural drug trafficking routes, has started to be affected from the trafficking of the synthetic drugs in the recent years (in particular captagon and ecstasy). There is a reported increase in the trafficking and abuse of synthetic drugs in Turkey.
Turkey is also affected from the chemical trafficking as a transit country. The seized acetic anhydride within Turkey, particularly at the borders is reported to be diverted at the countries where there are no strict control mechanisms and then trafficked to Turkey so as to be later shipped to Southwest Asian countries where the illegal drugs are produced.
Turkey is one of the two traditional licit opium-growing countries as recognized by the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB). The Turkish Government maintains strict control over its licit poppy program, which provides the extraction of alkaloids for the pharmaceutical market. No diversion of opiates into illicit markets has been reported.
Counter-efforts
Domestic Drug Control Framework
National Drug Control Institutions
Turkish law enforcement agencies, including the Turkish National Police, the Jandarma, the Customs and the Coast Guard are strongly committed to disrupting narcotics trafficking. They continue to increase in sophistication, including their ability to conduct controlled deliveries domestically and internationally. The Turkish National Police remains Turkey’s most sophisticated counter narcotics force, while the Jandarma and Customs are increasing their efficacy.
Countering Cultivation, Production, Supply and Trafficking
The positive results of the intensive struggling efforts by Turkish law enforcement forces on the Balkan Route become more visible in the recent years. Drug traffickers began to intensify their activities on the Northern Black Sea Route rather than the Balkan Route due to the secure route principle. The intensive struggle of Turkish anti-drug enforcement forces, the increasing efficiency of these units as a result of the training activities at the Turkish International Academy against Drugs and Organized Crime (TADOC) and the developments occurred in Afghanistan and Central Asia have been the motivator of this modification.
In 2004 the opium based drug seizures in the eastern and western border provinces of Turkey constitute nearly 85% of the total seizures in the country. % 55,5 of the total heroin seizures have been occurred in Istanbul and %3 in Edirne. This indicates that the heroin is transported from the countries in the east of Turkey and transferred to the western provinces so as to be later shipped to the various countries of Europe.
Although the opium based drug's routs are varies, Yuksekova-Dogubeyazit and Istanbul-Edirne routes gain their importance. As an alternative, Iran, Trabzon and Samsun harbours Russia and Europe route may be considered. Another alternative route is Hatay and Kilis-Syria, Lebanon and other Arabic countries.
The hashish seizures on 2004 are realized dispersed regarding the other drugs. Almost every city has reported seizure, and also the seizure rates are so different. 25,1 % in İstanbul, 9,3% in Van, 5,2 % in Hakkari 4,7 % in Antalya.. Since Van and Hakkari are located on the route of entry to Turkey for Southwest Asian origin hashish, there are also intensive seizures in these provinces.
After 2000, synthetic drug seizures in the world increased 6 times more than 1990`s. Like in the world, in Turkey, synthetic drug seizures and cases increased dramatically after 2000. On 2000, in 59 cases 791,663 captagon and ecstasy, on 2004, 549 cases 8.414.986 captagon and ecstasy were seized. Statistics shows that most of the ecstasy tablets were seized in Istanbul and tourist cities where are located in costal regions. The seizures concentrate in summer months.
The methods of transportation of drugs develop at the same way with technology and police protection. On 2004, when drug smuggling in Turkey evaluated, it was seen that total 79 pieces drug material case accomplished by land transport vehicles.53 % of these cases cars were used, 33 % TIR and trucks, 6 % light trucks, 4 % bus, 4 % minibus, were used. Compared to the previous years, drugs are seized mostly on small vehicles and there is a decrease in the amounts seized at a time. This demonstrates that the drug organizations decrease the amount of the heroin shipped over the Balkan Route and make the shipment in small batches due to the high risk of seizure.
The Turkish National Police remains Turkey’s most sophisticated counter narcotics force, while the Gendarmerie, the Coast Guard and the Customs are increasing their efficacy. In 2004, the counter narcotics forces of the Turkish National Police, Gendarmerie and Customs seized 9390 kg of cannabis (hashish and marijuana), 8844 kg of heroin, 4729 kg morphine base, 85 kg of opium, 1587 kg of acetic anhydride, 126 kg of cocaine, 9.493.470 tablets captagon and 845.390 tablets ecstasy.
Demand Reduction and Rehabilitation
While drug abuse remains low in Turkey compared to other countries, the number of addicts has increased in the recent years. There is a total of five Alcohol and Substance Abuse Treatment Clinics (AMATEM) in Turkey which serve as the regional drug treatment centers for the alcohol and drug addicts.
The Turkish International Academy against Drugs and Organized Crime (TADOC) has a research center on drug demand reduction to develop new struggle strategies and provides training programs on drug demand and harm reduction.
The TADOC is also in close cooperation with the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) and serves as a national focal point.
International Cooperation
Turkey is a party to the 1961, 1971 and 1988 UN Conventions and has signed documents on security cooperation with many countries. There are 32 foreign drug liaison officers from 16 different countries posted in Turkey.
The Turkish International Academy against Drugs and Organized Crime (TADOC), which was established under the initiative of the UN and Turkey in 2000, has provided trainings for 358 foreign officers from 37 different countries since then.
High profit provided by drugs forced organizations engaged in drugs smuggling to establish international cooperation. This situation has exposed itself as formation of organizations producing/manufacturing, shipping and distributing drugs. At this point the controlled delivery practice that allows following in the drugs from the place it is produced/manufactured to the to the user locally as well as internationally is proved itself as being a significant detective challenge.
The controlled delivery practice recommended by the " United Nations Agreement against Smuggling Drugs and Psychotropic Substances" dated 1988 has become a law on 19.11.1996 in Turkey. .
If the distribution of the controlled delivery practices implemented in the recent years is examined , it can be seen that the number of controlled delivery practices varies between 11 and 14. In 2004, 5 in land and 7 with foreign countries, totally 12 controlled delivery practices were performed, by Turkish law enforcement agencies.