27 June 2016•Update: 29 June 2016
ISTANBUL
Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus has said terror groups all around the world use drug trafficking, calling narco-terrorism a “headache” for the world.
Kurtulmus addressed an Istanbul event Sunday organized by Turkey's Green Crescent Society (Yesilay), an anti-addiction body, to mark the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.
Kurtulmus said fight against drug abuse requires a different approach in the field of education. He said from terrorist group PKK to FARC guerrillas in Colombia, drug trafficking is constantly being carried out.
"Terrorist organizations are mainly responsible for the narcotic substances being moved internationally," Kurtulmus said. "We have to fight this with proper education."
The United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon also issued a statement on the issue, said: "On this International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, I call on countries and communities to continue to improve the lives of everyone blighted by drug abuse by integrating security and public safety with a heightened focus on health, human rights, and sustainable development."
Illegal drug trafficking is the main financial source for terrorist organizations, including the PKK, reveals a report by Turkey's Interior Ministry shown to Anadolu Agency.
The PKK terrorist organization is active in all the phases of drug trafficking including the production, delivery, distribution, and sales, according to the narco-terrorism report.
The PKK reportedly produces heroin in laboratories established in its camps in northern Iraq, and sells it to Europe, the report says, adding members of the terrorist organization are also active in the sale of drugs on European streets.
The terrorist group also makes money from hashish production in the rural areas of the southeastern Diyarbakir province, which has been the scene of ongoing anti-terror operations against PKK.
