The drug squad in Turkey has eradicated 30,000 marijuana plants that were being clandestinely cultivated in a vast terraced garden near the Tigris River, a site listed on the UN Cultural Heritage list. According to media reports on Sunday, in a coordinated operation at sunrise involving divers, boats, helicopters, and drones, drug enforcement agents and local police raided the Hevsel Gardens in Diyarbakir, located in the predominantly Kurdish southeast, as reported by IHA news agency and Cumhurriyet newspaper.
The exact date of the raids was not disclosed. Upon searching the gardens, which span approximately 700 hectares (1,700 acres) between Diyarbakir Fortress and the Tigris River, authorities discovered thousands of marijuana plants growing at 31 different locations. The estimated yield from these plants was around 5.3 tonnes of cannabis, valued at approximately two billion Turkish lira ($51 million).
No immediate statement has been released by the interior ministry regarding the operation. The growers had exploited the inaccessibility of Hevsel Gardens by vehicles due to the terrain, using tents to hide and safeguard the plants. They also utilized irrigation systems to draw water from the Tigris River, as per the reports.
It remains unclear if any individuals were apprehended in connection with the cultivation. In 2015, the terraced gardens, still utilized for agricultural purposes, were designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site alongside Diyarbakir Fortress, highlighting their historical and cultural significance.
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