A Turkish court in the northern Kurdistan province of Amed (Diyarbakir) has ordered four members of the Turkish gendarmerie who are accused of drug trafficking to be detained on remand.

Those involved, a noncommissioned officer and three specialized sergeants, were captured with eight kilos of marijuana at a military checkpoint in the historic Sur district of Amed on December 2nd.

The Diyarbakir Chief Prosecutor’s Office has been investigating a network of military police (Gendarmerie) and villagers involved in drug trafficking for months. In line with the statements of the arrested soldiers, 24 people were taken into custody in the Lice district recently. Following the operation, the investigation file was restricted.