Turkey's Trade Ministry Hits $2.6 Billion-Worth Smuggling Activities

According to a report by Kibris Gazette on October 23rd, the Turkish Ministry of Trade's Customs Department has achieved significant success in combating smuggling during the first ten months of this year. They have seized smuggled goods worth 18.8 billion Turkish lira.

The tariff unit of the Ministry of Commerce has achieved significant success in combating commercial smuggling, with the seized smuggled goods valued at approximately 15.2 billion Turkish lira.

These smuggled goods include 870 tons of petroleum, 376 million tobacco rolls, 27 million cigarette filters, 605,000 e-cigarettes and their accessories, 5.6 million cans of e-cigarette liquid, 900,000 packs of cigarettes, 4.348 million electronic devices including mobile phones and their accessories, 3,754 tons of food, 153,000 automotive parts, 1.263 million medical devices, 440,000 clothing items, 801 tons of precious metals, 3,865 cultural artifacts, as well as the discovery of 3,502 species of endangered wildlife and plants within the scope of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), all of which were not allowed entry into the country.

A total of 18.8 billion Turkish liras worth of smuggled goods and drugs were seized in the first ten months of this year.