Istanbul seizes $1.4M in drugs on ship from France

By Aysenur Saglam

ANKARA

Turkish customs officers at Istanbul's Pendik port have seized an estimated 5 million Turkish liras ($1.4 million) worth of drugs aboard a ship sailing from the port of Toulon in southern France.

Sunday's seizure of 38 kg (83.7 pounds) of ecstasy pills and 11 kg (24.2 pounds) of cocaine came during a search on one of the trucks on the vessel after an X-ray scan found "suspicious density", and the officers were further alerted by the reaction of drug-sniffing dogs, according to a written statement from the Ministry of Customs and Trade on Monday.

Prosecutors have launched an investigation into the incident, the statement said.

There was no information on the owner of the ship, or the truck.

Reporting by Aynur Saglam;Writing by Cansu Dikme