Operation against 39 organized crime organizations in 37 provinces

Minister of Interior Ali Yerlikaya made a statement regarding simultaneous operations against organized crimes in 37 provinces.

Yerlikaya, in a message shared on his social media account today (December 12), stated, "A total of 39 organized crime structures were dismantled, including 9 national and local organized crime organizations and 30 crime groups providing weapons and suitable materials to these organizations. A total of 257 suspected individuals were captured, including the leaders of organized crime groups."

Nine organized crime groups

According to the data shared in Minister Yerlikaya's statement, operations under the coordination of the Directorate of Smuggling and Organized Crime of the General Directorate of Security were conducted in İstanbul against the organized crime group led by Nedim Baybaş, in Adana against the local organized crime group led by Hakan Karakuş, in Diyarbakır against the local organized crime group led by Süleyman Sarıkaya, in Çanakkale against the local organized crime group led by Murat Temuçin, in Eskişehir against the local organized crime group led by Kubilay Çavuş, in Mersin against the local organized crime group led by Adil Eryiğitler, in Muğla against the local organized crime group led by Erkan Albay, in İzmir against the local organized crime group led by İnanç Meçhul, and in Niğde against the local organized crime group led by Murat Kumak. The operation, named "Cage-18," targeted the members of these local organized crime groups.

The operation was conducted in 37 provinces, including Adana, Ağrı, Antalya, Balıkesir, Bursa, Çanakkale, Denizli, Diyarbakır, Elazığ, Erzurum, Eskişehir, Gaziantep, Giresun, Hatay, Isparta, Istanbul, Izmir, Karabük, Kars, Kastamonu, Kayseri, Kocaeli, Konya, Malatya, Mardin, Mersin, Muğla, Niğde, Ordu, Osmaniye, Rize, Sakarya, Samsun, Şanlıurfa, Tokat, Trabzon, and Van.

Allegations

It is alleged that organized crime groups engage in shooting workplaces with the aim of financing and acquiring weapons, threatening and looting business people by force, engaging in arms and drug trafficking, and conducting armed actions against each other following disputes over the distribution of proceeds from criminal activities.

Furthermore, these criminal organizations are said to use auto galleries, restaurants, and similar businesses as a front to engage in usury with high interest rates under the guise of loans. They are accused of threatening individuals with weapons and looting those who cannot repay their debts.

It has been determined that these crime organizations, through a private security company where their members are placed, take control of the security operations of entertainment venues. They reportedly launch armed attacks against entertainment venues and operators who refuse to accept their security services. Additionally, these criminal groups are involved in illegal activities such as factoring and check fraud. They allegedly extort money from business people by force of arms under the guise of fundraising for established associations, intervene in financial disputes between third parties, and engage in armed debt collection. (AS/PE)