Istanbul hosts anti-drug conference

Some 450 anti-drug experts from 91 countries are now in Istanbul for a conference on fighting drug smuggling and abuse. The three-day international conference co-organized by the Turkish Police Department and the US Drug Enforcement Administration began yesterday, and is meant to strengthen operational strategies and information exchanges on drug traffickers. Addressing the opening of the gathering, Interior Minister Besir Atalay pointed to recent Turkish police successes against drug smuggling and urged closer global cooperation and information-sharing on criminals. He also praised the US identifying the terrorist PKK as an organization involved with drug smuggling.