Discovery of an international drug trafficking network through judicial cooperation between Iran and Turkey

According to the High Council for Human Rights website, the Directorate-General for International Legal and Judicial Cooperation of Iran’s Judiciary announced that following successful judicial cooperation between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Turkey, the case of the suspicious death of a young Iranian man in the Turkish city of Kırşehir—who died after swallowing packets of narcotics—has been resolved. This cooperation led to the identification and arrest of an international drug-trafficking network and the uncovering of shocking details behind the crimes.

The Directorate explained that the case began when a family in Kish reported their son missing. Following legal inquiries, it emerged that contrary to his earlier statements about attending to personal matters in Kish Island, the young man had departed from Imam Khomeini Airport on July 6, 2024, bound for Turkey. Further investigations identified a travel companion—an old friend of the family.

After identifying the missing young man’s companion, tensions escalated between the family and the companion, prompting judicial authorities to order the police to intervene and conduct initial investigations and interrogations. In his confession, the companion stated that both had traveled to Turkey to earn money. Their assignment was to swallow and transport narcotics: 800 grams of methamphetamine carried by the missing young man, and one kilogram of opium carried by his companion—both acting on instructions from an Afghan national, the ringleader of the group.

Upon arriving in Turkey, the missing young man’s condition deteriorated due to his inability to expel the narcotics he had swallowed. Efforts by those present—apparently at a location intended for the handover of the drugs—failed, resulting in his death. The individuals at the scene then hastily transported the young man’s body to a remote area outside the city and abandoned it there.

Following these confessions, judicial authorities submitted a request for cooperation to Iran’s Directorate-General for International Judicial Cooperation, seeking action from Turkish judicial and police authorities.

The International Affairs Department of Iran’s Judiciary sent a formal request for judicial cooperation based on the bilateral legal assistance agreement between Iran and Turkey concerning civil and criminal matters.

Turkish police subsequently arrested four members of the drug-trafficking gang, all Afghan nationals. Their charges include drug transportation, concealing and destroying evidence, and possible involvement in the murder of the Iranian victim. Turkish judicial authorities and police publicized the case, releasing images of the suspects in Turkish media.

Through continued judicial cooperation and upon Iran’s request, the body of the deceased Iranian was returned to the country. Ultimately, by order of Iranian judicial authorities, the deceased man’s companion was prosecuted inside Iran and is now imprisoned on charges of drug trafficking and complicity in murder. Judicial and international efforts to apprehend the remaining members of the network continue.

It has been repeatedly emphasized that international judicial cooperation is highly effective in combating transnational organized crime, and that bilateral agreements and international conventions can provide the necessary framework for such collaboration and help strengthen it further.