Israel thanks Erdogan and Fidan… Turkey frees drug trafficker

Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said that an Israeli citizen who was sentenced to 10 years in prison for drug trafficking in Turkey would return to his country as a result of contacts established on the Ankara-Israel line.

Commenting on social media platform X, Cohen said: “It is fortunate that Danny Awka, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison following the intervention of President Herzog, myself and other officials, is returning to his family earlier this week. …This is part of the many efforts made by the State of Israel and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the Israeli citizens and is a testament to the rapprochement between Israel and Turkey.I would like to thank President Erdoğan and Foreign Minister Fidan, who contributed to the solution of the problem.

The Israeli foreign minister shared the message with his photo with Erdogan.

According to news from the Jerusalem Post, one of the leading Israeli newspapers, Danny Awka, 35, was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2019 for illegally possessing a stalker and attempting to kidnap him.

Awka, who received the harshest sentence for drug smuggling in Turkey, argued that he was tricked into carrying the substance gat and that smugglers in Germany had given him false information saying the substance was legal in Turkey. In the news, it was noted that Awka is scheduled to be released and deported tomorrow.

Gat, a flowering plant native to East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, is banned in many countries as a stimulant.

ISRAEL’S FOREIGN MINISTRY TAKES ACTION

Although the use of the stimulant gat, which is consumed by chewing and also known as Yemen herb, is banned in Turkey, the US, and many European countries, gat can be used in Israel in its natural state.

According to Israeli media, President Isaac Herzog put diplomatic pressure on Erdogan, while Foreign Minister Cohen asked Hakan Fidan to review Awka’s sentence. It was claimed that an agreement was reached with Turkey for the return of Awka, who had been imprisoned for 4 years as a result of efforts, including by Knesset member Pnina Tamano-Shata, to return to Israel.

His family also issued a statement, stating that they have been making great efforts for the release of Danny Awka for 4 years.

The Israeli man was caught and arrested in 2019 with $100 and 34 kilos of gat with him. Due to Awka’s allegations that Iranian and Syrian prisoners abused her in prison, the Israeli Foreign Ministry also arranged for Awka to be transferred to another prison.