Istanbul police conducting raids against drug dealers

The police are conducting the raids against drug dealers in Turkey’s Istanbul city in which 70 policemen have been involved, Trend reports referring to the Turkish media on Sept. 3.

The operations are being carried out at 40 addresses. As part of the operations, over 5 kilograms of drugs have been seized.

Earlier, Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu stated that the country faces a serious threat and should toughen up the fight against drug addiction and drug trafficking.

"The number of deaths from drug overdoses is increasing every year," said the minister.

The minimum age for Turkish citizens starting to use drugs is 13 years, with 36 years being the average, and 65 being the maximum. Addicts in Turkey aged 15-24 years old make up 2.9 percent of the country's population, with those 25-44 years old making up 2.8 percent and those 45-64 years old making up 2.3 percent of the population.

There are 22 rehabilitation centers for drug addicts in Turkey.

Over the past 4 years, more than 300,000 people have been detained in Istanbul for using and selling drugs.