“Breaking Bad”-style bust in Istanbul: 213 kg of drugs in camper and house

Police in Istanbul’s Şişli district seized 213 kilograms of synthetic drugs hidden in tanks under a foreign-plated camper and in a nearby rented house. Two foreign nationals were arrested.

Istanbul police’s narcotics unit seized 213 kilograms of synthetic drugs in a foreign-plated camper parked in the Şişli district and in a house rented on the street behind it. Two foreign nationals detained in the operation were formally arrested.

Officers identified the camper during an investigation into the “manufacture and trade of narcotic or stimulant substances.” After about 15 days of technical and physical surveillance, the raid was carried out on Oct. 13.

Three hidden tanks under the camper

One of the tanks removed from under the camper

A search of the camper turned up liquid drugs in three separate tanks concealed underneath the vehicle. Police determined that the suspects had rented a house on the street behind the camper, where they planned to turn the liquid into solid form before putting it on the market.

Materials used in drug production were found in both the camper and the house. A total of 213 kilograms of synthetic drugs were seized: 162 kilograms in liquid form and 51 kilograms in solid and crystallized form.

After police procedures, the suspects were referred to the courthouse and arrested.

Inside the camper during the search

A scene from a TV series

The case drew comparisons with “Breaking Bad,” the U.S. series that ran from 2008 to 2013 over five seasons and 62 episodes. In the show, chemistry teacher Walter White, played by Bryan Cranston, and Jesse Pinkman, played by Aaron Paul, used a camper as a mobile lab to hide from the police.

Liquid drugs from the tanks are emptied into containers