ANKARA, Sept. 21 -- Authorities in southeastern Turkiye have destroyed 217,608 cannabis and skunk plants across 99 illegal cultivation areas in Diyarbakir province, the Interior Ministry announced Monday.

In a post on social media platform X, the ministry said that the seized plants could have yielded approximately 5 tons of cannabis powder.

The operation was conducted across the Lice and Kulp districts as part of a government action plan targeting illegal cannabis cultivation. A total of 64 operational teams comprising 570 personnel from local gendarmerie forces participated in the drive, utilizing remote sensing systems to detect the cultivation sites.

The drive was executed in coordination with the Narcotics Crimes Department of the...