Türkiye announces major drug cartel bust in int’l operation

Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced on Wednesday the dismantling of an international drug cartel following the arrest of drug baron Kerim Daglioglu in Spain.

Daglioglu apprehended with red notice

Yerlikaya revealed that Turkish, Spanish, and French police, supported by Europol, conducted the operation.

“Kerim Daglioglu, also known as Emre Karaca and wanted with a red notice by our country, has been apprehended,” he confirmed.

“The ‘Argay Operation’ in Spain, involving our Narcotics Department, has effectively dismantled the international drug cartel,” Yerlikaya said in a post on social media.

During house searches in Granada, Malaga and Seville, authorities seized over 2 tons of narcotics, along with firearms, luxury vehicles and cash. The operation, spanning nine months and launched on June 11 with the cooperation of French, Spanish Guardia Civil, and Turkish law enforcement, involved more than 400 police officers.

In addition to Daglioglu, a total of 42 drug traffickers were arrested, hailing from Spain, Germany, Austria, Syria, Montenegro, Romania, Ukraine, Argentina, and Venezuela, Yerlikaya reported.