Watch video
Testimonial
Follow The Canyon
Stay in touch with The Canyon on Facebook and Twitter. We love to be social. Come join us!
Contact Us
If you prefer, fill out the following form and a counselor will get back to you.
Success Stories
The generosity of the staff and peacefulness of the surroundings has given me a serenity and safety I had never experienced before." - Don
International Drug Raids Up
Seizures of illegal drugs are on the rise in Turkey. What’s to blame for the spike and why is the country such a popular drug thoroughfare?
Turkey has seen a sharp increase in the amount of illegal drugs seized in the country, according to a November report by the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA). Seizures of heroin, cannabis resin and herbal cannabis are all up from 2003 to 2008, some increasing by as much as 10 times.
A total of 45 tons of drugs were seized in Turkey between 2005 and 2008, whereas the amount of drugs seized in European Union countries, Norway and Croatia were 25 tons, according to the report.
Reason for Turkey’s Increased Drug Rate
Why is Turkey seeing such drug traffic? The country is a major gateway for heroin destined for West and Central Europe, with Turkey located on major drug trafficking routes, including the Balkan route, the northern (Black Sea) route and an eastern Mediterranean route, according to the report. Cocaine enters Turkey from South America for mainly domestic use, while cannabis is mainly produced domestically.
The 2010 World Drug Report of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime released in April 2010 said most of the heroin heading for West European markets comes from Afghanistan and passes Iran, Pakistan and Turkey, which collectively seized 40 percent of the estimated flow intercepted in 2008. Heroin is mostly seized in Turkey's eastern provinces of Van, Hakkari and Agri along the Iranian border, en route to Istanbul.
The UN report said ethnic Kurdish groups, with large border populations in Iran, Iraq and Turkey, might be responsible for drug trafficking through their own networks, but the majority of drug traffickers arrested in Turkey are Turkish nationals. Not surprisingly, drugs are big business for organized crime groups, which manage the heroin trafficking between Iran and Turkey and on to the Balkans, earning them around $600-700 million every year.
While seizures are working to limit the amount of drugs getting through, Turkey has also launched a new comprehensive national strategy against drugs and agreed on integrating its strategy with the " European Union Strategy and Action Plan on Drugs" in the short term.
Heroin Rehab
If you or someone you love is battling a heroin addiction, call The Canyon at our toll-free number. Someone is there to take your call 24 hours a day and answer any questions you have about treatment, financing or insurance.
If The Canyon isn't right for you, we'll find the place that is.
Articles on Heroin Addiction
- Heroin Use and Pregnancy
- Signs of Heroin Addiction
- Heroin Dependency and Its Dangers
- Heroin Regulation and Control
- Heroin Overdose Dangers
- The Social Effects of Heroin Addiction
- History of Heroin Addiction
- Heroin Addiction Treatment Programs
- Heroin Dependency Affects the Family
- Heroin Addiction Treatment for Teens
- Heroin Today
- Heroin Addiction Treatment for Women
- Physical Effects of Heroin Addiction
- The History of Heroin
- Too Much Information on Heroin Use?
- Al Qaeda and Opium
- International Drug Raids Up
- Mike Starr Loses Addiction Battle
- Musician Steve Earle’s Take On Addiction, Through Fiction