Drug trade expected to boom as furloughed criminals prepare for post-Covid world: ‘They’re just getting started’

Traffickers and criminologists tell Borzou Daragahi rising prices and emptied jails create fertile soil for drug trafficking

Ankara police patrol the Ulus district with dogs (AFP)

He thought the Covid-19 pandemic would bring a temporary halt to the business. The on-off Turkish drug dealer, small-time trafficker and ex-con, hunkered down at home to ride out the storm.

But then the government of Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, like administrations across the world, freed thousands of prisoners to slow the spread of coronavirus inside jails. Suddenly, he was flooded with calls from his old prison pals. All of them were eager to get back into the game.

“They’re reaching out,” 34-year-old Cerkes said, speaking on the condition his full name not be published. “They’re asking, ‘Can you help us out? Can you make a connection?’ I know two or three crews buying cocaine. These guys just got out of prison. And they’re just getting started.”