ISTANBUL, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- Turkish police confiscated on Friday more than 3 million drug pills in operations in Istanbul and the neighboring province of Kocaeli in northwestern Türkiye, detaining nine suspects, authorities announced.

About 3.04 million pills and 52.5 kilograms of additives were seized during the raids targeting drug trafficking networks in Istanbul's Umraniye and Tuzla districts as well as Kocaeli's Gebze district, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on the social media platform X.

On Tuesday, Turkish authorities reported intercepting 7.89 million narcotic pills, 63 kilograms of raw drug materials, and 207 kilograms of methamphetamine in two separate operations.

Türkiye, strategically located between Asia and Europe, remains a key transit hub for illicit drug trafficking. In response, the government has adopted a hardline approach and intensified nationwide anti-narcotics operations. ■