Police: More Than Six Thousand Illegal Immigrants Were Captured In First Two Months

ANKARA - Deputy Chief of Police Department and Police Department spokesman Ramazan Er has said, ''6 thousand 285 illegal immigrants were captured in the first two months.''
Speaking at a weekly press briefing at the Police Department in Ankara, Er said on Friday, ''Turkish security forces have been carrying out an influential fight against illegal migration. Turkey is a transit route for those trying to migrate to European countries illegally. Also, Turkey is considered a targeted country for the Eastern block countries.''
''In the first two months of 2004, security forces captured 6 thousand 285 illegal immigrants in operations throughout Turkey,'' he said.
Referring to operations against illicit drug traffickers, Er noted that 701 of hashish, 2.4 tons of heroin and 43 gr of cocaine were impounded in the January-March period of the year.
Upon a question, Er told reporters that preparatory works had been continuing about security measures in Istanbul during the NATO Summit in June.
(UK-AY) 30.04.2004