State medal to Antep police from Ukraine

The police force of Gaziantep in southeastern Turkey helped Ukraine in operations "Black Rose Ğ 27" and "Gazikent 27-1," obtaining 245 kilograms of heroin within the last two years. The Ukrainian envoy to Ankara, Sergiy Korksunsky gave the medal to Sait Ünalan, the head of the Gaziantep Police Department Smuggling and Organized Crimes Department in a ceremony in Ankara. Korsunsky said Ukraine has never given a state medal to any police force of a foreign country. Ünalan said their cooperation would continue.

Gaziantep police on July 14, 2007 determined heroin would be transported through the northern Black Sea route and informed Ukrainian authorities about the name of the truck driver and the license plate of the truck. In the operation in Ukraine, 175 kilograms of heroin was discovered hidden in secret compartments of the truck. The driver was arrested. In January, in another operation in Turkey against the same gang, three people were arrested, while one of them was released. In the Gazikent 27-1 operation, 70 kilograms of heroin was obtained in Ukraine upon intelligence from Turkey and nine people in Turkey were arrested.