 "Turkey executes massive international op against drugs, detains 234 'high-level' members of organised crime group")
Turkey’s interior minister on Tuesday (April 15) announced a massive international crackdown on organised crime across five countries. The operation has resulted in over 200 arrests, predominantly in Turkey.
Ali Yerlikaya, speaking at a press conference, stated that “a total of 234 high-level members of an organised crime group were detained, nine of whom were abroad and 225 were at home.”
He noted that the coordinated raids occurred simultaneously in the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Belgium, and Turkey.
Officials shared documents and intelligence with a number of countries, including France and Britain, in the run up to the operation.
The minister reported that authorities had seized around 21.2 tonnes of drugs.
“We are facing a huge structuring on an international scale,” he stated, further saying that the members were implicated in crimes ranging from drug trafficking to money laundering.
As part of the operation, Turkish authorities targeted four international organised crime groups.
Yerlikaya claimed that these criminal organisations were seeking to ship cocaine to Turkey and Europe by sea and land from South American countries. Additionally, they were also allegedly bringing in heroin from Iran and Afghanistan, skunk cannabis through the Balkans, and ecstasy through Europe.
In a post on social media platform X, Yerlikaya revealed that the operation, named Orkinos-Bulut, also resulted in the seizure of assets worth approximately 13 billion Turkish Liras, including 681 real estate properties and 127 vehicles.
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More Shorts“Operasyonumuzun adı: ORKİNOS-BULUT”
— Ali Yerlikaya (@AliYerlikaya) April 15, 2025
Bugün sabah saatlerinde, ulusal ve uluslararası boyutta uyuşturucu madde ticareti yapan ve bu suçtan elde ettikleri gelirleri aklamaya çalışan organize suç örgütlerinin üst düzey üyelerine yönelik çok büyük bir operasyon gerçekleştirdik.… pic.twitter.com/p9oRXh5rb8
Several agencies, including Turkey’s Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK), Istanbul Police Department, Narcotics Crimes Combating Department, the European Police Organization (EUROPOL), and police organisations in the Netherlands, Germany, Spain and Belgium, participated in the operation.
With inputs from AFP
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