Simultaneous drug-Fighting Coordination Committee meeting was held throughout Turkiye. Speaking about counter-drug, the Minister of Interior Affairs announced that the number of people died in 2017 due to the drug was 941 and it reduced to 228 according to the data of the first 9 months on 2018.

Stating that they have seized drugs from caves and in front of schools in the operations carried out both on land and sea, Soylu said: "As the results of these efforts, we succeed to reduce drug deaths from 941 people in 2017 to 228 people in 2018."

Stating that the whole Turkiye will be shaken if there is a news says, "228 young people died in an accident," Soylu added that there is no such an accident but unfortunately, 228 young people lost their lives due to drug usage.

"This year, our 228 young people died for nothing. They didn’t die because of an accident or all together in a single moment but in 9 months. But in the end, 228 young people lost their lives," he said.

"Terrorist organizations are selling drugs and buying weapons"

Underlining that both the amount and the type of production in drugs grows like an avalanche, Soylu said: "I would like to express as a comparison. The number of drug types included in the early warning system of the European Union is 670 and 70 percent of them, included in the last 5 years. Means, they invent a new type drug at any time. Drug production is also increasing."

"I mentioned earlier that in 2002, the area of poppy cultivation in Afghanistan was 17 thousand hectares, the United States intervened to bring peace and democracy there, I don’t know what kind of peace and democracy it brought there, and now, the area of poppy cultivation in 2017 increased to 328 thousand hectares."

Minister Soylu said that the number of opium production was 4,800 tons in 2016, and has increased to 9000 tons in 2017, which increased 63 percent in a year. . 4 thousand 800 tons of opium production rose to 9 thousand tons in 2017, which is 63 percent in a year.

Mr. Soylu drew attention that distribution channels are developing along with the chemistry and production of the drug. "Especially darknet's activity is growing. Two-thirds of the sales made with crypto money on the internet network, darknet, are drug-related."

Pointing to illegal immigration and global terrorism directly interacts with drug trafficking and provides appropriate conditions for distribution, Mr. Soylu said: "Terrorist organizations sell drugs and buy weapons. In particular, the PKK holds 80 percent of the drug trade in Europe, and the organization' income from the drug is estimated to be around 1.5 billion dollars a year."

He also added that security forces had seized drug almost in every operation against caves used by the organization's militants.

ILKHA