Police capture Russian organized crime leader in İstanbul

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced the capture of Shamil Amirov, a leader of the "Thieves in Law" organized crime syndicate wanted by Interpol through a blue notice and operating in Russia, during the "Cage-15" operation in İstanbul.

Taking to his social media account, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya revealed that Amirov, subject to a blue notice, was located residing in Istanbul's Sarıyer district and subsequently detained.

Under the tenure of Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu, leaders of international criminal organizations and many of their members settled in Turkey. In recent operations, it was disclosed that some gang members had acquired Turkish citizenship despite search warrants against them.

As conflicts among members of criminal organizations spilled over into Turkey, consecutive police operations ensued following the pressure created by the Financial Action Task Force's (FATF) decision to grey-list Turkey. The operations conducted after Süleyman Soylu assumed office also brought Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya to the forefront. (Mİ/VK)