Turkey has become a significant hub for the global cocaine trade, with an estimated $2.9 to $5.8 billion worth of the drug passing through the country each year, according to a recent report by InstituDE, a Brussels-based think tank, which attributes this surge to systemic corruption, government involvement and weakened legal norms, Turkish Minute reported.
The report, published on Wednesday, highlights how Turkey’s lenient residency and citizenship laws, combined with widespread corruption in the judiciary and law enforcement, have created an environment conducive to illicit activities, including cocaine trafficking.
Turkey’s expanding role as a key transit point for cocaine from Latin America to Europe is particularly alarming, as the country has seen a sharp rise in drug seizures, with authorities intercepting 2.85 tons of cocaine in 2023, nearly eight times the amount confiscated annually in the early 2010s.
The increase in cocaine seizures in Turkey does not necessarily indicate more effective law enforcement, the report states. Instead, it reflects a significant rise in the volume of cocaine being trafficked through the country. Between 2020 and 2023, cocaine seizures en route to or within Turkey grew dramatically, with the total volume seized rising from 6,961 kilograms in 2020 to 10,874 kilograms in 2023.
In 2023 alone, law enforcement agencies seized over 8 tons of cocaine destined for Turkey, with major interceptions occurring in Italy (5,300 kg), Peru (2,300 kg) and Colombia (314 kg). The surge continued into 2024, with over 4,700 kilograms seized by September. These figures represent only a fraction of the total cocaine trafficked through Turkey, with experts estimating that law enforcement intercepts only 10 to 20 percent of the total volume, the report says.
According to the report, citing open source data, the global cocaine market has shifted in recent years, with Europe emerging as a key destination for drug cartels seeking new markets to absorb their surging production. While North America has long been the world’s largest cocaine market, demand there has declined since 2017, prompting Latin American cartels to focus on Europe, where profit margins are higher. In Europe, a kilogram of cocaine can fetch up to $40,000, compared to $28,000 in the United States.
Turkey, situated at a strategic crossroads between Europe, Asia and the Middle East, has become an attractive transit point for cocaine traffickers, the report says. The country’s weakened rule of law combined with its political and economic instability has made it an appealing option for criminal organizations seeking to expand their operations.
According to the report, Latin American cartels have increasingly partnered with European and Balkan criminal organizations to transport cocaine through Turkey and into Europe. Criminal groups from Montenegro, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Albania have established direct relationships with Latin American traffickers, bypassing intermediaries and facilitating the movement of cocaine from Andean labs to street dealers in major European cities such as London, Paris and Berlin.
The report emphasizes that political interference and corruption have played a major part in Turkey’s expanding role in the global cocaine trade.
Since corruption investigations in 2013 against high-level officials in the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and a coup attempt in 2016, Turkey has experienced widespread purges in its judiciary and police.
Thousands of judges, prosecutors and law enforcement officers have been dismissed and replaced with individuals loyal to the AKP and the far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), eroding the rule of law and creating an environment in which organized crime can thrive.
One high-profile example of political interference is the case of Iranian drug lord Naji Sharifi Zindashti, who was arrested in 2018 on charges of murder but inexplicably released six months later after pressure from Burhan Kuzu, a senior advisor to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Zindashti’s release, which sparked widespread outrage, highlights the extent to which organized crime figures can manipulate the judicial system with the help of political connections.
The erosion of legal norms in Turkey has made it easier for organized crime groups to operate with relative impunity. The country has become a haven for criminals seeking to evade prosecution in their home countries.
The report cites several instances where high-profile drug lords, such as Swedish-Kurdish crime boss Rawa Majid and Croatian drug lord Nenad Petrak, were able to obtain Turkish citizenship through real estate investments despite being wanted by international law enforcement agencies.
The Turkish government’s tax amnesty programs, designed to repatriate undeclared funds, have inadvertently facilitated money laundering by allowing criminals to legitimize their illicit proceeds, the report says. These programs, which offer minimal scrutiny regarding the source of declared assets, have provided an opportunity for individuals involved in drug trafficking to launder their proceeds under the guise of legitimate wealth.
The report highlights the case of Hakan Ayık, Australia’s most wanted man, who was able to transfer millions of dollars in illicit proceeds from Australia to Turkey without any problems due to the tax amnesty program.
Ayık, who was arrested in İstanbul in 2023 on drug trafficking charges, had been living in luxury in Turkey despite being a fugitive with an INTERPOL Red Notice out for him.
Turkey’s inclusion on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list in 2021 further underscores the country’s lax approach to combating money laundering and illicit financial flows. The FATF report criticized Turkey for conducting very few money laundering investigations despite the high number of serious crimes such as drug trafficking and human smuggling.
In response to growing international pressure, Turkey has taken steps to improve its anti-money laundering efforts, including tightening financial oversight and implementing stricter sanctions for violations. In June 2024 Turkey was removed from the FATF grey list after demonstrating progress in these areas. However, the root causes of the increase in cocaine trafficking, such as political interference, corruption and weakened judicial institutions, remain unaddressed, according to the report.
The report concludes that Turkey’s role in the global cocaine trade is likely to persist and even expand in the coming years unless significant reforms are implemented. The report calls for judicial reforms to restore the independence of the judiciary, stricter citizenship and residency policies to prevent exploitation by criminals, and enhanced financial oversight to combat money laundering.
The report was authored by former Turkish diplomats: Halil Çavuş, an expert in international security; Ömer Güler, an economist specializing in international economics; Dr. İmdat Öner, a specialist in Turkish foreign policy and Latin American politics; and Mustafa Enes Esen, who focuses on Turkish foreign policy and Middle Eastern affairs.
