Operation against drug dealers on social media: 305 people apprehended

Minister of Interior Ali Yerlikaya shared details regarding the large-scale operation conducted against drug trafficking on his social media account.

According to Yerlikaya's statement, a simultaneous operation was carried out this morning in 14 provinces, centered in Istanbul, targeting suspects identified as selling drugs through social media. It was reported that a total of 305 suspects were taken into custody during the operations.

Minister Yerlikaya provided the following information regarding the suspects' activities:

"Studies conducted on instant messaging programs and social media sharing platforms revealed that they established end-to-end encrypted groups on these platforms, and through these groups, they supplied drugs either via a trust-based courier system network or individually,

There was a significant amount of content promoting drug use, and groups belonging to specific individuals were created on the same application for drug trafficking, with access to these closed groups possible only through a special invitation or referral,

Drug dealers frequently changed their usernames to hide their phone numbers and identity information in order to avoid detection in these groups, and to counter police measures, especially those of cyber patrol teams,

Great importance was placed on privacy rules within the closed groups, which made it quite difficult to identify the individuals who created the groups and engaged in drug trafficking,

It was determined that they engaged in drug trafficking 24 hours a day, based on population density and user potential, according to the day-night supply-demand balance."

Emphasizing that the fight against drugs is not limited to a national dimension, Yerlikaya stated, "The fight against drugs is not just an 'internal security issue.' This struggle is a 'global security' struggle."

SOSYAL MEDYA ARACILIĞIYLA UYUŞTURUCU MADDE SATAN ŞAHISLARA YÖNELİK YAPTIĞIMIZ BÜYÜK ÇAPLI OPERASYONUMUZ??

İstanbul merkezli 14 ilde “Uyuşturucu Madde Ticaretine” yönelik bu sabah Polisimiz tarafından eş zamanlı olarak düzenlenen operasyonlarımızda 305 şüpheliyi yakaladık.… pic.twitter.com/1Ts50cWEX6

— Ali Yerlikaya (@AliYerlikaya) February 10, 2026

News Source: 12punto