The Turkish Criminal Code (TCK) sets out three main drug offences. Possession for personal use (TCK art. 191) carries two to five years’ imprisonment, facilitating drug use (TCK art. 190) five to ten years, and trafficking (TCK art. 188) at least ten years. Which offence has been committed depends not only on the drugs seized but also on the evidence, the statement and whether the search was lawful. This page summarises each topic briefly and links to detailed articles.
Offences and penalties at a glance
| Offence | Penalty | Court | Key feature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Use / possession for personal use (TCK art. 191) | 2–5 years | Criminal court of first instance (asliye ceza) | On the first occasion, a mandatory 5-year postponement and at least 1 year of supervised release |
| Facilitating or encouraging use (TCK art. 190) | 5–10 years | Criminal court of first instance (asliye ceza) | Providing a place or equipment, public encouragement, social media |
| Trafficking (TCK art. 188(3)) | At least 10 years | High criminal court (ağır ceza) | At least 15 years for synthetic cannabinoids (bonzai), methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine or sale to a child |
| Manufacture, import, export (TCK art. 188(1)) | 20–30 years | High criminal court (ağır ceza) | Conditional release ratio ¾ |
You can see the possible sentence range in a specific case with our drug offence sentence calculator.
Detailed articles by topic
Offences
- Is drug use a crime? TCK art. 191 penalty and postponement
- The difference between personal use and trafficking
- Drug trafficking sentence (TCK art. 188)
- Facilitating and encouraging drug use (TCK art. 190)
Investigation and trial
- The court process: police custody, statement, trial, appeals
- Pre-trial detention and objecting to it
- Unlawful search and evidence
- If a drug test comes back positive
- Effective repentance (TCK art. 192)
Afterwards
- Supervised release and breaches
- Time served for trafficking: how many years in prison?
- Driving licence: TRY 150,000 fine, cancellation and getting it back
- Public employment, criminal record and the “dishonourable offence” debate
- Is a spouse’s drug use a ground for divorce?
Five basic rules to know
- No case is filed for a first personal-use offence. The prosecutor postpones the prosecution for five years. If that period passes without problems, the file is closed and nothing is entered in the criminal record.
- Sharing is trafficking too. Even giving drugs to a friend free of charge can fall under TCK art. 188(3).
- The type of search order matters. If there is a tip-off about a specific person, a search carried out under a preventive search order is unlawful, and the drugs found cannot be used as evidence.
- Effective repentance can remove the penalty or reduce it by one quarter up to one half, but the information given must be true and must lead to results.
- The conditional release ratio for trafficking is ¾. The “serve half” rule does not apply to this offence.
Recent changes
- July 2026: The deferral of the announcement of the verdict (HAGB) under the Code of Criminal Procedure (CMK) art. 231 was reorganised. The drug-specific provisions in TCK arts. 188–192 did not change.
- February 2026: The sanction for driving under the influence of drugs was reset as an administrative fine of TRY 150,000 and cancellation of the driving licence. A requirement to wait at least five years before obtaining a new licence was introduced (Highway Traffic Law (KTK) art. 48).
- June 2025: Persons who are repeat offenders for the second time also became eligible for conditional release (Law on the Execution of Sentences and Security Measures (CGTİK) art. 108(3)).
Key recent decisions
- Court of Cassation Assembly of Criminal Chambers, 17.09.2025, E. 2020/471, K. 2025/335: For “persistent” non-compliance in supervised release, a third breach is required despite two justified warnings. Text of the decision
- Court of Cassation Assembly of Criminal Chambers, 05.02.2025, E. 2024/51, K. 2025/47: For an effective repentance reduction, the information given must be true and must have an effect on the outcome. The defendant’s statement that the money he received was repayment of a debt did not qualify, and no reduction could be applied. Text of the decision
- Court of Cassation 8th Criminal Chamber, 25.02.2026, E. 2025/10045, K. 2026/2713: A trafficking conviction for a quantity within the personal-use range was quashed and the defendant was released. Text of the decision
- Court of Cassation 10th Criminal Chamber, 05.03.2026, E. 2021/9148, K. 2026/2767: A search of a person being followed on the basis of communication monitoring, carried out under a preventive search order, was found unlawful. Text of the decision
Each article shows the statutory provisions it relies on and the date it was last checked. When legislation or case law changes, we update the relevant articles.
This article is for general information only and is not legal advice. For your specific situation, please seek advice from a lawyer.