29 members of 2 criminal organizations arrested in Istanbul

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced that 29 suspects were detained in the “Kuyu-23 Operation,” targeting two rival crime groups in Istanbul.

The operation was carried out under the coordination of the General Directorate of Security’s Anti-Smuggling and Organized Crime Department and the Istanbul Police Department’s Organized Crime Division.

During the operation, authorities seized 2 AK-47 rifles, 9 unlicensed pistols, 3 stolen motorcycles, 1 vehicle used in criminal activities, 1 stolen car, 4 ski masks, 2 bulletproof vests, and numerous rounds of ammunition.

The suspects included those involved in a shooting on August 27 in Istanbul’s Bahçelievler district that left two people injured. On August 30, another attack resulted in the death of crime group member E.K. and one injury.

That same day, a separate attack outside Bahçelievler State Hospital injured 5 people, including a police officer, a gendarmerie officer, a private security guard, and two civilians.