Neighborhood headman arrested for drug trafficking

According to the information obtained, teams from the Samsun Police Department's Anti-Narcotic Crimes Branch conducted an operation in the Canik and İlkadım districts. During the searches conducted as part of the operation, 92,400 synthetic pills, 1 unlicensed pistol, 71 pistol cartridges, and 25,000 TL, suspected to be proceeds from drug trafficking, were seized. Erdoğan Desteci, the headman of the 200 Evler neighborhood in the Canik district, and Murat İ., who is reported to be an auto gallery and parking lot owner, were detained in connection with the incident. Following the completion of their police interrogations, Erdoğan Desteci and Murat İ. were referred to the Samsun Courthouse today.

It was learned that headman Erdoğan Desteci had previously been detained in the Merzifon district of Amasya on March 24, 2022, in a vehicle containing 33,000 synthetic pills, and was released after being held in custody for 13 months due to the duration of his detention. It emerged that the Amasya courts had declared a lack of jurisdiction in the case, and that a lawsuit had been filed against the headman at the Samsun 1st High Criminal Court, where his trial is ongoing, with the hearing postponed to November 14, 2024.

It was also learned that headman Desteci had been arrested on March 25, 2023, for another "drug trafficking" offense, and on August 8, 2023, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison for "drug trafficking" by the Samsun 1st High Criminal Court, where he was being tried; however, his sentence was reduced to 2 years and 1 month due to his confession and good conduct, leading to his release.

It was stated that headman Erdoğan Desteci had previously appeared as a guest on a local internet television program in 2020, where he offered suggestions for solutions regarding the fight against drugs in his capacity as a neighborhood headman.

After testifying before the duty magistrate, headman Erdoğan Desteci and Murat İ. were arrested on charges of "drug trafficking" and sent to the Samsun T-Type Closed Prison.

News Source: 12punto