A major international police operation aimed at arresting a gang of drug traffickers has gone awry, as an unsuspecting Czech lorry driver who transported substances from Slovakia that are used in the production of heroin wound up in jail in Turkey over Christmas, according to SME daily.
Slovak police tracked the lorry all the way from Dunajská Streda to Istanbul, Turkey. The documentation said that the unsuspecting driver was carrying 15 tonnes of a disinfectant; but in reality he was carrying contraband used in heroin production. The material, which set off from Slovakia on December 10 and reached Turkey four days later, was supposed to reel in the drug traffickers. However, the recipient company said that it hadn't ordered any items and the police action falling flat.
The operation was overseen by the European Union agency Eurojust.
Interior Minister Daniel Lipšic rejected claims concerning the failure of Slovak police and blamed Turkish police instead. Head of the shipping company Martin Pavlat said that he fails to grasp how police could expose the driver to such a risk, and he added that his company will be seeking legal redress, Sme wrote.
Meanwhile, the driver was banished from Turkey for one year, which actually means that the driver will not be able to perform his job, as the company specialises in shipping items to Turkey, according to Sme.
