Turkish authorities have detained 305 people in a large-scale drug operation spanning 14 provinces, targeting street-level dealers who allegedly used encrypted messaging apps and social media platforms to organize sales, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported on Tuesday, citing prosecutors.
The İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement that investigators found that so-called street dealers had attempted to evade police surveillance by creating online marketplace networks through instant messaging services and social media channels.
The probe focuses on allegations of drug trafficking and facilitating or encouraging drug use. Prosecutors said administrators and moderators of closed online groups were identified as coordinating sales across multiple channels.
According to the statement detention warrants were issued for 346 suspects, and simultaneous raids were carried out on Tuesday across 35 districts of İstanbul and 13 other provinces. Police detained 305 suspects, while efforts to locate the remaining individuals are ongoing.
Authorities said legal proceedings have also been launched to block access to and shut down the online groups and channels allegedly used to facilitate the drug trade.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said in a statement on X that the operation followed five months of surveillance, during which investigators uncovered networks using end-to-end encrypted groups and trust-based courier systems to distribute drugs.
Cybercrime units worked alongside narcotics police to trace communications within closed, invitation-only groups, the minister added.
SOSYAL MEDYA ARACILIĞIYLA UYUŞTURUCU MADDE SATAN ŞAHISLARA YÖNELİK YAPTIĞIMIZ BÜYÜK ÇAPLI OPERASYONUMUZ❗️
İstanbul merkezli 14 ilde “Uyuşturucu Madde Ticaretine” yönelik bu sabah Polisimiz tarafından eş zamanlı olarak düzenlenen operasyonlarımızda 305 şüpheliyi yakaladık.… pic.twitter.com/1Ts50cWEX6
— Ali Yerlikaya (@AliYerlikaya) February 10, 2026
Operations were carried out simultaneously in İstanbul, Ankara, İzmir, Bursa, Antalya, Konya, Sakarya, Tekirdağ, Hatay, Mardin, Adıyaman, Giresun, Kastamonu and Muş, Yerlikaya said.
The detentions are part of an expanding investigation that prosecutors have linked to alleged drug distribution and use in nightlife settings and to prostitution-related accusations.
The probe has hit a wide mix of suspects in recent weeks, including business owners, models, social media influencers and media figures.
Among those arrested last week was Ali Kaya, the brother of Dilek Kaya İmamoğlu, the wife of jailed İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, according to Turkish media reports.
Kaya was arrested on charges of facilitating drug use and was later remanded in custody by an İstanbul court.
The arrests have attracted attention because of Kaya’s family link to Ekrem İmamoğlu, the country’s largest city’s elected mayor and a leading figure in the Republican People’s Party (CHP), Turkey’s main opposition party. İmamoğlu has been jailed since March 2025 in cases his party and critics describe as politically driven.